afyirh 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

RECEIVED    BY    EXCHANGE 

Class 


GENERAL  ALEXANDER  HAYS 


"He  dared  to  lead  where  others  dared  to  follow" 


UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 


STORY  OF 


Tke    Sixty  Third    Regiment 

PENNSYLVANIA  VOLUNTEERS 


1861-1864 


No  grander  Corps  of  the  Army  grand 

Than  the  Old  Third,  famed  throughout  the  land; 

No  better  Division  the  diamond  wore. 

Than  Division  First  of  that  noble  Corps: 

No  braver  soldiers,  living  or  dead, 

Than  those  whom  Hays  and  Kearney  led, 


Compiled  by  GILBERT  ADAMS  HAYS 

n 

With  Personal  Narrative  by  WILLIAM   H.  MORROW,  Company  A. 


PITTSBURGH,  PENNSYLVANIA 

Published  by 

Sixty-third   Pennsylvania  Volunteers   Regimental   Association 

1908 


Copyrighted  by  Gilbert  Adams  Hays, 

1908. 
All  rights  reserved. 


PRESS   OF 

MARKED   REVIEW   PUBLISHING    CO. 
PITTSBURG,   PA. 


TO 

'The  Sacred,   l^Lemory  of  the  Sainted,  Dead 

of  the 
\ 

Gallant  Sixty-third 


Who  sealed  their  devotion  to  our  glorious  flag  with  their  loyal  blood 
on    many    ensanguined    battle-fields;    of    those    who    have    since 
passed     to    their     reward     on     "Fame's     Eternal     Camping 
Ground;"  to  the  surviving  members  and  to  the  wives, 
sons,  daughters  and  descendants  of  that  immortal 
band,  this  record  of  the  brilliant  achieve 
ments    of    the    regiment    is 

Reverently  and  Affectionately  Dedicated 


188244 


Comrades  known  by  faith  the  clearest, 
Tried  when  death  was  near  and  nearest, 

Brothers  evermore  to  be. 
And  if  spared  and  growing  older 
Shoulder  still  in  line  with  shoulder, 
And  with  hearts  no  thrill  the  colder 

Brothers  ever  shall  we  be. 

By  communion  of  the  banner, — 
Crimson,  white  and  starry  banner, — 
By  the  baptism  of  the  banner, 

Children  of  one  Church  are  we, 
Creed  nor  faction  can  divide  us, 
Race  nor  language  can  divide  us; 
Still  whatever  fate  betide  us, 

Children  of  the  Flag  are  we. 


— Charles  G.  Halpine. 


Table   of  Contents 


Part    First 


CHAPTER  I. 

Bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter — President  Lincoln's  Call  for  Troops — 
First  Battle  Bull  Run — Organization  of  the  Sixty-third — Camp 
Wilkins — Departure  for  the  Front — Arrival  at  the  National 
Capitol — Camp  Hays — A  Day  in  Camp. 

CHAPTER  II. 

Camp  Shields — Camp  Johnston,  alias  Camp  Pennyroyal — Deserter 
Drummed  Out  of  Service — Military  Execution — Picket  Duty — 
Pohick  Church — Flag  Presentation. 

CHAPTER  III. 

Embarkation  for  the  Peninsula — At  Fortress  Monroe — Incidents  of 
Camp  Life — In  Front  of  Yorktown — A  Field  Hospital — The 
Intrenchments — Evacuation  of  Yorktown — Official  Report  of 
Siege  of  Yorktown — Peach  Orchard  and  Wynn's  Mill. 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Battle  of  Williamsburg — Camp  Sassafras — Battle  of  Fair  Oaks. 

CHAPTER  V. 

Battle  of  Gaines  Mill — Evacuation  of  Savage  Station  and  Destruc 
tion  of  Supplies — Battle  of  Frazier's  Farm  or  Glendale — Battle 
of  Malvern  Hill. 


G  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VI. 

At  Harrison's  Landing — Fourth  of  July  in  Camp — In  Retreat — Sec 
ond  Battle  of  Bull  Run — Poolsville  and  Conrad's  Ferry — 
Fording  the  Potomac — Burnside  in  Command  of  the  Army 
— Battle  of  Fredericksburg — Burnside's  Mud  March. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

In  Winter  Quarters — Origin  of  Corps  Badges — Holidays  in  Camp — 
An  April  Fool  Joke — Grand  Review  by  President  Lincoln — Bat 
tles  of  the  Cedars  and  Chancellorsville. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Camp  Sickles — Annie  Etheridge — The  Kearney  Cross — The  March  to 
Gettysburg. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Battle  of  Gettysburg. 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Return  from  Gettysburg — Battle  of  Wapping  Heights — Sulphur 
Springs. 

CHAPTER  XL 

March  to  Culpepper — The  Third  Corps  Union — Centerville  and 
Brandy  Station — B'attles  of  Auburn,  Kelly's  Ford,  Locust  Grove 
and  Mine  Run. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Camp  at  Brandy  Station — Third  Corps  Ball — Grant  in  Command — 
Re-organization  of  the  Army — Disbandment  of  Third  Corps 
— Return  of  General  Hays — General  Hays'  Letter  to  Governor 
Curtin. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Battle  of  the  Wilderness — Death  of  General  Hays — Battles  of  Todd's 
Tavern  and  Po  River. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Battle  of  Spottsylvania — At  the  Death  Angle — Battle  of  Fredericks- 
burg  Pike — Capture  of  Confederate  Soldiers — Charge  at  Taylor's 
Bridge  on  'the  North  Anna. 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Battle   of   Cold   Harbor — March   to  Petersburg — In   the   Trenches. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  7 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Siege  of  Petersburg — Deep  Bottom — The  Mine. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

In  the  Trenches  at  Petersburg — Second  Deep  Bottom — Bloodless  Duel 
-in  the  Corn  Patch — Music  in  Camp. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Expiration  of  Term  of  Service — Consolidation  with  One  Hundred 
and  Fifth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers — Return  of  the  Shattered 
Columns. 


Part    Second 

Roster  and  History  of  Companies — Muster  Rolls  of  Veteran  Volun 
teers  and  Drafted  Men — Titles  of  Companies  Previous  to  Mus 
ter-In — Record  of  Interments  in  National  Cemeteries. 


Part    TL'rd 

Letters  from  the  Front — Biographies  of  General  Alexander  Hays, 
Colonels  A.  S.  M.  Morgan,  William  S.  Kirkwood,  John  A.  Danks, 
Major  James  F.  Ryan,  Chaplain  Junius  J.  Marks,  Captains 
Bernard  J.  Reid,  Robert  H.  Millar — The  Twelfth  Regiment — 
Regimental  Reunions — Dedication  of  Monuments  at  Gettysburg, 
•and  to  General  Hays  at  Pittsburg  and  Wilderness — Music, 
"Bully  for  You,"  and  "The  Bully  Old  Sixty-third." 


o  r  e  w  o  r 


EARLY  half  a  century  has  elapsed  since  the  Sixty-third 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry,  was  mus 
tered  into  the  military  service  of  the  United  States,  under  the 
call  of  President  Lincoln  for  soldiers  to  aid  in  suppressing  the 
rebellion,  which  at  that  time  threatened  the  perpetuity  of  the 
Federal  Union,  yet  up  to  the  present  time  no  detailed  record 
of  the  achievements  of  that  famous  command  has  been  pub 
lished  in  permanent  form. 

At  the  first  annual  reunion  of  the  survivors  of  the  Regiment 
held  in  Pittsburgh  in  November,  1879,  a  permanent  organiza 
tion  was  effected  under  the  title  of  "The  Sixty-third  Pennsyl 
vania  Volunteers'  Regimental  Association,"  and  steps  taken 
to  perpetuate  the  record  of  the  Regiment  by  appointing 
Robert  H.  Millar,  of  Company  E,  Historian  and  Secretary. 
After  much  labor  and  research,  a  history  was  prepared  which 
would  have  proved  an  invaluable  contribution  to  the  literature 
of  the  Civil  War  period,  but  the  Great  Commander  called  the 
writer  before  the  manuscript  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
printer,  and  with  his  death,  in  1899,  every  vestige  of  this 
material,  collected  from  a  variety  of  authentic  sources,  disap 
peared  and  was  never  recovered,  an  almost  irreparable  loss  to 
the  regiment. 

At  the  reunion  following  Comrade  Millar's  death,  Gilbert  A. 
Hays,  son  of  our  beloved  commander,  was  chosen  Regimental 
Historian  and  Secretary  of  the  organization,  and  the  seem 
ingly  hopeless  task  of  compiling  the  history  was,  with  many 


FOREWORD  9 

misgivings,  again  taken  up,  and  perse veringly  and  patiently 
brought  to  a  finish  in  this  volume,  a  labor  of  love  and  duty. 

In  1900  William  H.  Morrow,  a  member  of  Company  A, 
prepared  and  published  in  weekly  installments  in  the  "Wil- 
merding  News,"  an  interesting  series  of  personal  reminis 
cences  of  army  life  in  the  Sixty-third,  under  the  title  of 
"History  of  a  Famous  Regiment,  from  the  Standpoint  of  a 
Private  Soldier,"  but  was  compelled  by  circumstances  to 
greatly  curtail  the  details  of  the  history,  and  finally  discon 
tinue  the  publication  before  its  completion.  These  sketches 
form  the  basis  of  the  earlier  chapters  of  the  present  volume. 

It  is  natural  that  in  the  long  lapse  of  years  since  the  stirring 
events  here  recorded  took  place,  the  loss  of  valuable  data  and 
death  of  many  comrades,  errors  should  appear  in  this  history, 
although  every  effort  has  been  made  to  verify  each  record  and 
statement. 

The  Committee  wish  to  acknowledge  the  valuable  services 
of  Colonel  Edwin  B.  Houghton,  Historian  of  his  Regiment, 
the  Seventeenth  Maine,  in  the  final  preparation  of  this  history 
for  publication. 

Sewickley,  Pa.,  April,  1908. 

DAVID   SHIELDS, 
ANDREW  G.   WILLIAMS, 

Historical  Committee. 
GILBERT    A.    HAYS,    Secretary. 


Across  the  years  full  rounded  past  two  score 

Since  Peace,  advancing  with  her  'Olive  wand, 
Restored  the  sunshine  to  our  desolate  land 

Come  thronging  back  the  memories  of  the  War; 

Again  the  drums  beat  and  the  cannons  roar 

And  patriot  fires  by  every  breeze  are  fanned, 
And  pulses  quicken  with  a  purpose  grand 

As  manhood's  forces  swell   to  larger  store, 

Again  the  camp,  the  field,   the  march,  the  strife, 
The  joy  of  victory,  the  bitter  pain 

Of  wounds  or  sore  defeat;  the  anguish  rife 

In  tears  that  fall  for  the  unnumbered  slain, 

And  homes  where  darkened  is  the  light  of  life; 
All  these  the  echoing  bugle  brings  again. 

— Bugle  Echoes. 


STORY 

OF  THE 

Sixty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers 


CHAPTER  I. 

(From  April  12,  1861,  to  September  12,  1861.) 


BOMBARDMENT  OF  FORT  SUMTER— PRESIDENT  LINCOLN'S  CALL  FOR 
TROOPS— FIRST  BATTLE  OF  BULL  RUN— ORGANIZATION  OF  SIXTY- 
THIRD—CAMP  WILKINS— DEPARTURE  FOR  THE  FRONT— ARRIVAL  AT 
THE  NATIONAL  CAPITOL— CAMP  HAYS -A  DAY  IN  CAMP— CHURCH 
SERVICES. 


Enough  of  speech!   the  trumpet  rings! 

A  nation  calls  to  arm! 
God  help  them  when  the  tempest  swings 

The  pine  against  the  palm! 


No  more  words; 

Try  it  with  your  swords! 

Try  it  with  the  arms  of  your  bravest  and  your  best! 
You  are  proud  of  your  manhood,  now  put  it  to  the  test; 

Not  another  word; 

Try  it  by  the  sword! 

No  more  notes! 

Try  it  by  the  throats 

Of  the  cannons  that  will  roar  till  the  earth  and  air  be  shaken, 
For  they  speak  what  they  mean,  and  they  cannot  be  mistaken! 

No  more  doubt; 

Come — fight  it  out! 

You  that  in  the  front 

Bear  the  battles'  brunt — 

When  the  sun  gleams  at  dawn  on  the  bayonets  abreast, 
Remember  'tis  for  government  and  country  you  contest; 

For  love  of  all  you  guard, 

Stand  and  strike  hard! 

— Franklin  Lushington. 

TN  APRIL,  1861,  when  the  hissing  shriek  of  one  shell  across 

the  Southern  bay,  from  Charleston  to  Fort  Sumter,  lighted 

the  fires  of  a  four  years'  hell  in  *a  happy  land  of  God-fearing 


12  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

peace  and  God-given  plenty,  and  the  hissing  shriek  of  another 
shell  that  Major  Anderson,  the  noble,  loyal  Kentuckian,  hurled 
back  in  heroic  defense  of  the  flag,  "struck  for  the  first  time 
then,  by  other  than  an  alien  hand,"  the  patriotism  of  the  law- 
abiding  and  union-loving  people  of  the  North  was  fully 
aroused. 

It  was  a  mild  spring  morning  and  nature  gave  no  sign  of 
the  dread  event  so  near  at  hand.  The  deep  thunder  of  the  can 
non  shot  awoke  the  morning  echoes  and  rolled  away  over  the 
trembling  waters  of  Charleston  Harbor.  At  that  moment  the 
great  clock  of  Destiny  struck  its  warning  note.  No  single 
cannon  shot  before  ever  bore  such  tremendous  import  on  its 
flight.  The  mightiest  monarch  on  earth  shivered.  The  march 
of  civilization  was  arrested,  and  the  history  of  man  was 
changed.  Deep  silence  followed  for  a  few  moments  as  if  all 
nature  had  paused  aghast  at  the  awful  deed. 

The  reverberations  of  that  shot  sent  a  shudder  quivering 
from  hill  top  to  hill  top,  from  the  pine-covered  forests  of 
Maine  to  the  orange  groves  of  Florida,  from  the  rock-bound 
coast  of  the  stormy  Atlantic  to  the  glittering  sands  of  the 
peaceful  Pacific,  and  the  echoes  of  that  shot,  heard  by  millions 
of  people,  brought  terror  and  dismay  to  every  village  in  our 
land,  and  was  but  the  first  peal  of  thunder  which  announced 
the  beginning  of  the  mighty  tempest  soon  to  sweep  our  con 
tinent  from  shore  to  shore,  and  deluge  our  soil  with  fraternal 
blood. 

The  very  next  day  after  the  surrender,  President  Lincoln 
issued  a  proclamation  calling  for  75,000  volunteers  for  three 
months,  to  protect  the  capitol  and  prevent  the  property  of  the 
Nation  from  being  seized  by  the  so-called  Confederate 
government.  This  caused  a  general  waking  up  everywhere. 
Enthusiastic  meetings  were  held  in  every  town  and  village, 
and  had  the  call  been  for  ten  times  75,000,  it  would  have  been 
filled. 

About  this  time  a  wave  of  patriotism  struck  our  country 
which  showed  itself  in  the  display  of  flags.  Every  house,  large 
and  small,  displayed  the  Stars  and  Stripes  from  all  parts,  and 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  13 

the  more  flags  displayed,  the  greater  seemed  the  loyalty  of  the 
resident.  Another  form  of  patriotism  became  very  prominent. 
There  was  a  great  hatred  for  everyone  who  did  not  throw  up 
their  hats  and  shout  aloud  for  the  Union,  and  many  threats 
were  daily  heard  of  hanging  certain  persons  who  were  sup 
posed  to  be  lukewrarm  toward  the  government.  But  strange 
to  say,  when  later  on  these  same  patriots  had  an  opportunity 
to  go  to  the  front  and  show  their  zeal  for  the  cause  they  pro 
fessed  to  love  so  dearly,  they  remained  by  their  peaceful  fire 
sides,  but  continued  to  shout  for  the  old  flag  and  wonder  why 
the  army  did  not  move  on  Richmond,  and  crush  the  unholy 
rebellion. 

Suddenly  on  Monday  morning,  July  22nd,  1861,  the  loyal 
North  was  completely  stunned  by  the  announcement  that 
General  McDowell,  with  his  forces,  had  been  thoroughly  whip 
ped  by  the  Rebel  army  under  Beauregard  at  Bull  Run,  and  his 
army  a  flying  mass  of  fugitives.  The  news  of  this  terrible  and 
unexpected  disaster  caused  every  cheek  to  turn  pale  and  sent 
a  shudder  through  the  entire  North.  Then  we  all  knew  that 
this  was  the  time  to  show  our  patriotism  by  actions  as  well  as 
words.  In  the  meantime,  a  call  had  been  made  for  men  to 
serve  for  three  years,  or  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  on 
every  hand  the  response  was  instant.  In  all  the  quiet  hamlets 
of  our  land,  where  nothing  had  been  known  save  the  peaceful 
sounds  of  home  industry,  now  was  heard  the  rattling  of  drums 
and  the  shrill  notes  of  the  fife.  Wives,  mothers,  sisters  and 
hoary-headed  fathers  wept  as  they  pressed  the  hands  of 
departing  husbands,  sons  and  brothers  who  were  hurriedly 
leaving  to  offer  upon  the  altar  of  their  country  their  service 
and  their  lives.  In  whatever  direction  the  eyes  were  cast  long 
lines  of  boys  in  blue  were  seen  hastening  to  the  front,  many  of 
whom  would  never  revisit  the  old  homes  again,  but  in  some 
nameless  grave  in  some  far  off  southern  battlefield  would 

sleeP-  "The  soldier's  sleep 

That  knows  no  waking." 

We  at  once  began  organizing  a  company  at  Braddock,  after 
wards  Company  A,  to  go  to  the  front  for  three  years.  A  man 


14  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

named  J.  M.  C.  Berringer,  of  White  Ash,  who  claimed  to  have 
served  twenty  years  in  the  regular  army,  became  candidate  for 
captain,  and  on  account  of  his  past  experience  we  all  agreed 
he  was  the  man  for  the  position,  and  unanimously  elected  him 
William  Smith,  of  Braddock,  familiarly  known  to  the  boys  as 
"Billy,"  a  most  excellent  and  brave  man,  was  elected  First 
Lieutenant,  and  W.  N.  Haymaker,  of  Murrysville,  Second 
Lieutenant.  Of  these  officers,  Captain  Berringer  was  dis 
missed  from  the  service ;  Lieutenant  Smith  was  killed  in  the 
Battle  of  Chancellorsville ;  Lieutenant  Haymaker  became  regi 
mental  quartermaster,  which  position  he  faithfully  filled,  and 
was  wounded  at  Fair  Oaks. 

Before  our  Company  was  filled  to  its  full  complement  we 
went  to  Pittsburgh  and  were  placed  in  Camp  W'ilkins,  near 
Twenty-eighth  Street.  This  had  been  the  old  Allegheny 
County  fair  grounds,  and  was  well  adapted  for  a  barracks,  as 
it  contained  a  large  number  of  buildings  that  were  convenient 
as  a  shelter  for  the  portion  of  regiments  not  yet  filled.  There 
were  a  number  of  these  fragments  in  camp  and  the  officers 
were  busily  engaged  in  recruiting,  the  recruits  being  sent  to 
Camp  Wrilkins  as  rapidly  as  secured.  A  part  of  the  iO2nd 
P.  V.  was  there  under  command  of  Colonel  Thomas  Rowley. 
This  had  been  the  Thirteenth  Pennsylvania  during  the  three 
months'  service  and  the  boys  insisted  strongly  upon  retaining 
the  old  number,  but  were  refused.  There  was  also  a  cavalry 
company  in  camp  calling  themselves  the  Vierheller  Cavalry,  in 
honor  of  a  German  named  Vierheller,  who  kept  a  hotel  in 
Pittsburgh. 

There  were  portions  of  many  other  companies  in  the  camp, 
all  anxious  to  start  for  the  front.  It  was  about  the  end  of 
July  when  we  went  into  camp,  and  were  sworn  into  the  service 
of  the  United  States  on  August  ist.  Our  life  in  this  place  was 
very  monotonous  and  we  were  all  heartily  sick  of  it.  The  only 
amusement  we  had  to  relieve  the  tedium  of  camp  life  was 
slipping  past  the  guard  and  going  to  Trimble's  varieties,  a 
vaudeville  theater  on  Penn  Avenue,  which  we  often  did  and 
which  frequently  resulted  in  the  punishment  of  being  com- 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  15 

pelled  to  carry  water  for  the  cooks  the  next  day.  Every  day 
we  hoped  to  be  sent  forward,  but  were  compelled  to  remain 
in  this  miserable  place  until  Monday  morning,  August  26th, 
when  we  were  electrified  by  being  told  that  we  would  leave 
that  day  for  Washington  City. 

There  were  two  full  companies  of  our  regiment  in  Camp 
Wilkins :  Company  A,  Captain  Berringer,  and  Company  B, 
Captain  W.  S.  Kirkwood,  and  several  squads.  Alexander  Hays 
was  our  colonel.  He  had  served  as  major  of  the  Twelfth  Regi 
ment  in  the  three  months'  service,  was  a  graduate  of  West 
Point,  and  had  served  with  distinction  in  the  Mexican  war. 

The  following  is  the  official  order  from  the  War  Department 
assigning  Colonel  Hays  to  the  command  of  all  troops  then 
quartered  at  Camp  Wilkins : 

Headquarters  Sixth  Cavalry, 

Camp  Scctt,  near  Pittsburgh, 
ORDER.  August  25,  1861. 

I.  Captain  Alex.   Hays,   Sixteenth  Infantry,   U.   S.   Army,   having 
been  appointed  Colonel  of  Volunteers,  he  is  hereby  assigned,  with  his 
full  rank  as  Colonel  of  Volunteers,  to  command  of  all  the  troops  at 
Camp  Wilkins,  and  he  will  be  obeyed  and  respected  accordingly. 

II.  He  will  push  forward,  with  utmost  rapidity,  the  organization 
of  companies,  and  as  each  company  is  mustered  into  service,  he  will 
despatch  it  promptly  to  Washington  to  report  to  the  Adjutant  Gen 
eral  of  the  Army.      When  the  tenth  company  of  his  own  regiment 
is  mustered  into  service  he  will  repair  with  it  to  join  his  regiment. 

III.  A.    Q.    M.    Ekin    will    provide    transportation    for    all    troops 
Colonel  Hays  may  send  forward. 

By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War, 

W.    H.    SIMONS, 
Lt.  Col.  6th  Cav.,  U.  S.  Army. 
Approved, 

L.  THOMAS,  Adjt.  Gen'l. 
September  27,   1861. 

A.  S.  M.  Morgan  was  lieutenant-colonel,  Maurice  Wallace 
major,  George  P.  Corts  adjutant,  and  James  M.  Lysle  quarter 
master.  Of  these  field  and  staff  officers,  Colonel  Hays  was  pro 
moted  to  Brigadier  General  in  September,  1862,  and  was  killed 
in  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864;  Lieutenant-Col- 


16  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

onel  Morgan  was  wounded  at  the  Battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  May  31, 
1862,  and  resigned;  Major  Wallace  resigned  and  came  home 
in  June,  1862;  Adjutant  Corts  died  after  the  war  closed  from 
wounds  received  in  battle ;  Quartermaster  Lysle  was  killed 
near  Pohick  Church,  Va.,  March  5,  1862. 

When  we  were  notified  that  we  were  to  leave  on  that  even 
ing,  many  of  the  men  living  near  by  were  permitted  to  return 
home  and  bid  farewell"  to  their  families.  It  was  a  sad  parting, 
as  no  one  knew  he  wrould  ever  again  see  those  who  were  near 
and  dear  to  him.  By  noon  all  had  returned  to  camp  and  were 
ready  for  their  long  journey.  A  train  of  empty  cars  was  run 
out  on  Liberty  Street,  and  about  4  o'clock  we  formed  in  line, 
and  with  the  drum  and  fife  band  playing  the  "Girl  I  Left 
Behind  Me,"  left  Camp  Wilkins  and  marched  down  street  to 
embark.  The  street  was  crowded  with  spectators  who  cheered 
us  as  we  passed  along.  The  war  was  new  then  and  the  citizens 
were  full  of  enthusiasm  and  were  all  ready  and  willing  to  give 
the  soldier  boys  a  hearty  send  off.  We  were  certainly  a 
motley  crowd,  as  we  had  not  yet  received  uniforms  and  were 
told  we  would  receive  them  at  Harrisburg.  We  all  wore  our 
poorest  clothing,  expecting  to  throw  them  away  when  Uncle 
Sam  would  present  us  with  "hand-me-down"  suits,  but  in  this 
we  were  badly  fooled,  as  we  did  not  receive  our  army  clothing 
until  well  on  in  September,  and  by  that  time  we  were  some 
what  in  the  condition  of  Falstaff's  soldiers,  who  were  so  dis 
reputable  that  he  refused  to  march  them  through  Coventry. 
We  had  not  been  supplied  with  arms  yet,  but  most  of  the  men 
had  provided  themselves  with  revolvers,  having  heard  how  the 
Sixth  Massachusetts  had  been  treated  at  Baltimore,  and  we 
were  anxious  to  have  something  to  protect  ourselves  with  in 
the  hot  bed  of  secession. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  train  we  speedily  embarked  and 
then  occurred  a  most  touching  scene.  Fathers,  mothers, 
wives,  children,  brothers,  sisters  and  other  friends  were  lined 
up  on  each  side  to  bid  the  last  farewell  to  their  loved  ones. 
Here  an  aged  father  stretched  a  trembling  hand  to  grasp  that 
of  a  dear  son,  while  he  supported  the  weeping  mother  with 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  17 

the  other  arm,  or  a  wife,  with  tears  streaming  down  her  pale 
face,  held  up  a  laughing,  unconscious  baby  to  give  the  depart 
ing  father  one  more  farewell  kiss.  Sisters,  with  tear-dimmed 
eyes,  were  bidding  a  fond  adieu  to  loved  brothers,  while 
brothers,  with  husky  voices,  were  bidding  good-bye  to  broth 
ers,  and  here  and  there  blushing  maidens  were  saying  farewell 
to  lovers,  striving  hard,  but  unavailingly,  to  keep  back  their 
tears.  It  was  a  scene  no  one  cares  to  look  upon  a  second  time. 
As  the  train  pulled  out  we  all  turned  to  take  one  last  look  at 
the  familiar  scenes,  and  as  we  gazed  at  the  surroundings, 
bathed  in  the  mellow  light  of  the  setting  sun,  many  realized 
that  they  would  never  behold  the  same  again.  Many  a  hearty 
cheer,  and  many  a  God  speed  were  wafted  to  the  boys,  and 
the  sad  and  weeping  friends  moved  off  to  their  homes,  feeling 
that  there  was  a  vacant  chair  at  the  fireside  that  perhaps 
would  never  again  be  filled  by  the  absent  one.  As  we  passed 
East  Liberty,  Wilkinsburg  and  Braddock,  vast  crowrds  were  at 
the  stations  greeting  us  with  loud  cheers.  During  the  night 
the  water  in  the  car  tanks  was  exhausted,  and  as  soon  as  it 
was  known,  the  men  suddenly  became  extremely  thirsty,  and 
did  some  vehement  swearing  and  complaining.  While  the 
train  lay  on  a  siding  near  Huntingdon  a  poor  fellow  of  Com 
pany  G  got  out  and  while  standing  on  another  track  was 
instantly  killed  by  a  passing  fast  train,  and  this  threw  a 
damper  over  all.  Later  on,  after  we  had  become  inured  to 
death,  such  a  thing  would  not  have  caused  a  ripple  of  feeling 
but  we  had  not  yet  grown  hardened  to  such  scenes. 

Just  as  the  sun  was  climbing  the  Eastern  horizon,  we  pulled 
into  Harrisburg  and  were  glad  of  the  permission  to  stretch 
our  cramped  and  tired  muscles  by  disembarking.  The  boys 
were  hungry  as  well  as  tired,  and  nothing  was  in  sight  that 
would  appease  their  hunger.  Those  possessed  of  any  money 
hurried  off  to  satisfy  their  wants,  and  here  the  Harrisburg 
people  showed  their  peculiar  custom  of  that  time  in  charging 
most  inordinate  prices  for  everything  in  the  eating  line.  We 
had  been  told  that  when  we  got  to  Harrisburg  we  would 
receive  uniforms,  but  soon  discovered  that  it  was  a  mistake. 


18  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

About  noon  we  were  marched  aboard  a  train  consisting  of 
cattle  cars,  to  be  taken  to  Baltimore  by  the  Northern  Central 
Railroad.  A  most  laughable  incident  occurred  at  this  place. 
Governor  Andrew  G.  Curtin  came  down  to  see  the  boys  after 
they  had  embarked ;  the  soldiers  were  very  indignant  at  being 
placed  in  cattle  cars,  and  when  they  saw  the  Governor,  they 
set  up  an  excellent  imitation  of  the  voices  of  the  usual  occu 
pants  of  these  cars.  Such  a  braying  like  mules,  bellowing 
like  cattle,  bleating  like  sheep,  and  even  squealing  like  swine 
probably  never  before  greeted  the  ears  of  the  old  war  gover 
nor.  He  stopped,  gazed  at  the  cars,  then  wheeled  and  strode 
away  in  a  most  indignant  manner. 

As  soon  as  the  train  started  on  its  way  to  Baltimore,  every 
one  who  possessed  a  knife  began  to  get  his  work  in  on  the 
cars  and  it  was  not  long  before  they  presented  a  unique  appear 
ance,  the  sides  being  almost  cut  away  by  the  boys  having 
made  windows  in  them.  The  officers  tried  to  stop  what  they 
called  vandalism,  but  the  boys  had  not  yet  learned  to  fear  the 
officers  and  paid  little  or  no  attention  to  their  orders,  and  by 
the  time  we  reached  Baltimore,  the  cars  presented  the  appear 
ance  of  huge  chicken  coops.  The  government,  of  course,  had 
to  pay  the  railroad  company  for  the  mutilation  of  the  cars, 
but  the  soldiers  did  not  let  that  trouble  their  consciences  any. 

It  was  a  dreary  ride  from  Harrisburg  to  Baltimore,  the  day 
was  dark  and  gloomy  with  frequent  showers,  and  the  boys 
were  tired  and  hungry  and  in  a  bad  humor.  The  train  crept 
along  at  a  snail's  pace  with  a  number  of  long  stops.  About  9 
o'clock  at  night  we  pulled  into  Baltimore  and  disembarked. 
Besides  Companies  A  and  B,  there  were  portions  of  other  com 
panies  of  our  regiment,  also  fragments  of  several  other  regi 
ments,  making  a  body  of  about  one  thousand  men  in  all.  We 
left  the  cars,  formed  in  line,  and  escorted  by  a  large  body  of 
policemen,  we  marched  through  the  city  from  the  Susque- 
hanna  depot  to  the  Washington  depot.  Thousands  of  citizens 
were  out  on  the  streets  watching  us  pass  along,  in  some 
places  we  were  loudly  cheered,  and  in  other  places  all  kinds 
of  opprobious  epithets  were  hurled  at  us.  The  women  in  par- 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  19 

ticular  were  very  bitter.  The  secesh  element  was  still  glory 
ing  over  the  defeat  of  McDowell's  army  at  Bull  Run,  and  the 
women  took  especial  pains  to  throw  it  up  to  us.  "Are  you 
going  to  Bull  Run?"  was  a  question  asked  us  repeatedly. 
Our  officers  had  carefully  enjoined  the  men  to  say  nothing 
back,  no  matter  what  was  said  to  us  while  marching  through 
the  city,  as  we  were  unarmed  and  would  be  at  the  mercy  of 
the  mob  should  there  be  a  riot,  but  human  nature  could  not 
endure  all  these  taunts  and  some  of  the  boys  answered  the 
ladies  (?)  in  a  way  more  forcible  than  polite.  We  heard  some 
vicious  curses  from  the  knots  of  men  stationed  on  street 

corners  as  to  what  should  be  done  to  "the  d d  mud  sills," 

and  it  only  required  a  spark  to  cause  a  terrible  explosion,  but 
fortunately,  nothing  worse  than  insults  were  offered  us  and 
we  reached  the  Washington  depot  where  we  were  hurried  on 
board  a  train  awaiting  us.  Some  of  us  slipped  past  the  guard 
and  took  a  stroll  through  the  city,  but  owing  to  the  unfriendly 
feelings  of  the  Baltirnorians,  we  did  not  go  far  from  the  rest  of 
the  boys.  The  station  was  soon  crowded  with  women,  black 
and  white,  each  with  a  basket  containing  pies  and  cakes,  and 
those  of  the  soldiers  who  had  money  procured  enough  for  a 
pretty  full  meal.  For  some  reason,  our  train  did  not  leave  the 
Washington  depot  during  the  night,  and  we  were  compelled 
to  huddle  in  the  cars  until  morning.  Guards  were  placed  at 
car  doors  to  prevent  anyone  from  going  out  and  indulging  in 
their  wanderings  during  the  night,  and  we  lay  like  sheep  in  a 
pen  with  no  little  profanity  and  grumbling  on  the  part  of  the 
boys. 

With  daylight  the  train  pulled  out  and  we  started  for 
Washington.  It  was  not  long  until  the  buildings  of  the 
capitol  came  in  sight,  and  all  were  eager  to  get  out  and 
behold  the  city  of  magnificent  distances.  When  the  train 
stopped  we  were  marched  to  the  Soldiers'  Home  where  we 
were  fed,  our  breakfast  consisting  of  coffee,  mess  beef  and 
hard  tack,  but  as  we  were  very  hungry,  the  meal  was  very 
palatable. 

We  remained  around  the  Home  until  about  12  o'clock,  when 


20  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

we  were  formed  in  line  and  marched  out  of  town  about  half 
a  mile  into  a  grove  of  pines,  and  were  told  that  was  to  be  our 
camp.  This  camp  was  known  as  Camp  Sprague.  It  began  to 
rain  ere  \ve  reached  the  place,  and  as  no  tents  had  been  pro 
vided,  it  soon  became  a  very  disagreeable  spot.  The  boys  cut 
down  bushes  and  arranged  them  in  the  form  of  wigwams,  over 
which  they  placed  their  blankets,  and  took  refuge  under  these 
improvised  shelters.  In  a  short  time  the  blankets  became 
soaking  wet,  and  the  water  ran  in  streams  over  the  occupants. 
About  5  o'clock  in  the  evening  a  lot  of  tents  arrived  and  were 
soon  put  up,  but  the  ground  was  soaked  and  our  blankets 
being  in  the  same  condition,  we  spent  a  very  disagreeable 
night.  Some  of  the  more  enterprising  secured  a  few  boards 
from  a  garden  some  distance  from  camp,  and  made  good  floors 
in  their  tents.  Others,  seeing  our  good  luck,  started  out  on  a 
hunt  fo£  boards,  but  were  ignominously  put  to  flight  by  the 
patrol  guard.  The  next  morning  was  warm  and  pleasant,  and 
we  forgot  our  discomforts.  A  public  road  ran  alongside  of 
our  camp,  and  as  the  boys  were  ragged  to  picturesqueness,  it 
was  funny  to  see  them  when  carriages  containing  fine  ladies 
and  gentlemen  from  the  city  drove  by,  dive  into  the  bushes 
to  hide  themselves. 

We  remained  in  Camp  Sprague  eleven  days  during  which 
time  we  did  considerable  sight-seeing  about  Washington,  and 
made  several  narrow  escapes  from  being  taken  up  by  the 
patrol.  However,  in  Company  A  there  was  one  complete  suit 
of  citizen's  clothes,  one  had  a  coat,  another  a  vest,  a  third  a 
hat,  etc.,  so  that  it  was  always  loaned  out  that  one  of  the  boys 
could  don  it  and  run  around  town  without  danger  of  the  patrol 
arresting  him. 

On  Thursday,  September  5th,  we  were  marched  down  to 
the  arsenal  and  given  our  guns.  The  Sunday  following,  Lieu 
tenant  Smith  and  several  of  the  boys  visited  Tennallytown, 
where  the  Eighth  Reserves  were  stationed,  a  number  of  Brad- 
dock  boys  being  members  of  that  regiment.  It  was  a  long 
walk  and  very  hot,  yet  it  was  a  very  interesting  sight  to  see 
how  the  country  was  filled  up  with  camps.  On  every  side, 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  21 

soldiers  from  all  the  Northern  States  were  occupying  the  land, 
and  the  canvas  cities  spread  out  for  miles.  Cavalry,  infantry 
and  artillery  were  gathered  in  immense  numbers  preparing 
for  the  mighty  struggle  before  them.  We  received  a  hearty 
welcome  from  our  Braddock  friends  who  did  all  in  their  power 
to  make  us  enjoy  ourselves.  We  remained  with  them  until 
evening,  and  then  started  back  for  our  camp.  It  was  dark 
before  we  reached  the  place,  and  upon  arriving  there  we  found 
that  our  regiment  had  disappeared.  'Going  to  a  Rhode  Island 
Regiment  that  lay  near,  we  enquired  if  they  knew  what  had 
become  of  the  Sixty-third.  They  told  us  that  they  had  moved 
during  the  day,  but  did  not  know  where.  We  visited  several 
other  camps  but  received  no  information,  and  it  was  evident 
we  were  lost  in  the  army.  This  may  seem  a  very  silly  expres 
sion,  yet  it  is  a  serious  thing,  as  anyone  who  has  had  the  fate 
to  be  lost  in  the  army  will  bear  out.  We  went  from  one  regi 
ment  to  another,  but  could  not  learn  where  our  regiment  had 
gone.  About  I  o'clock  we  met  a  man,  and  on  repeating  our 
question,  he  said  that  he  thought  they  had  changed  places 
with  the  Sixty-second,  telling  us  where  that  was,  and  upon 
oungoing  to  the  place  described,  sure  enough  we  found  them. 
Shortly  after  we  had  left  in  the  morning,  they  had  receive'd 
orders  to  move. 

This  camp  was  known  as  Camp  Hays  and  wre  remained  here 
for  the  next  twenty  days.  In  the  meantime,  recruiting  had 
been  continued  in  Pittsburg,  and  recruits  kept  arriving  almost 
daily,  and  during  the  month  of  September  the  regiment  had 
swelled  to  over  1000  men. 

The  Companies  comprising  the  Sixty-third  were  as  follows : 
Company  A,  recruited  largely  at  Braddock  and  in  the  Turtle 
Creek  Valley,  Captain  Berringer,  who  'was  dismissed  in  July, 
1862;  William  Smith,  next,  killed  at  Chancellorsville ;  W.  P. 
Hunker,  next. 

Company  B,  recruited  mostly  about  Sharpsburg  and  Pitts- 
burg,  Captain  W.  S.  Kirkwood,  afterward  promoted  to  Col 
onel,  died  from  wound  received  at  Chancellorsville.  Robert 


22  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

A.  Nesbit  was  promoted  to  Captain  and  brought  the  Company 
home. 

Company  C,  recruited  at  New  Brighton,  Captain  J.  C. 
Hanna,  who  resigned  and  came  home  June  15,  1862.  Charles 
Taylor  was  the  next  Captain,  and  was  dismissed  July,  1862; 
Wash  Gray  was  next;  he  resigned  November  10,  1862.  George 
Weaver  next;  he  came  home  with  the  Company  at  the  end  of 
the  service. 

Company  D  recruited  in  Allegheny  County,  Captain  Harry 
Ormsbee,  resigned  March,  1862.  Ben  F.  Dunham  next,  dis 
missed  July  26,  1862.  W.  J.  Thompson  next,  killed  at  Chancel- 
lorsville.  G.  E.  Gross  next,  came  home  with  the  Company. 

Company  E,  recruited  about  Etna  and  Sharpsburg,  Captain 
John  A.  Banks,  promoted  to  Lieutenant  Colonel.  John  Mc 
Clelland  next,  came  home  at  end  of  term. 

Company  F,  recruited  in  Clarion  County,  Captain  B.  J. 
Reid,  resigned  August,  1862.  George  W.  McCullough  next, 
promoted  to  Major,  killed  in  Wilderness.  David  Shields  next, 
wounded  at  Morton's  Ford,  Va.,  February  6,  1864,  discharged 
June  9,  1864. 

Company  G,  recruited  mostly  in  Venango  and  Armstrong 
Counties,  Captain  Charles  W.  McHenry,  resigned  November, 
1862.  Isaac  Moorehead  next,  killed  at  Petersburg  June  18, 
1864. 

Company  H,  recruited  at  Pittsburgh,  Captain  C.  B.  McCul 
lough,  resigned  December,  1861.  William  Keenan  next, 
resigned  April,  1862.  H.  B.  Fulton  next,  killed  at  Fredericks- 
burg.  William  H.  Jeffries,  resigned  May,  1863.  Daniel 
Daugherty,  killed  at  North  Anna  River  May  23,  1864. 

Company  I,  recruited  at  McKeesport,  Captain  James  F. 
Ryan,  promoted  to  Major.  William  C.  Me  In  tosh  next,  served 
to  end  of  term. 

Company  K,  recruited  in  Allegheny  County,  Captain  Charles 
W.  Chapman,  killed  near  Pohick  Church,  March  5,  1862.  W. 
H.  Brown  next,  died  May,  1862.  Theodore  Bageley,  wounded, 
with  loss  of  arm,  at  Glendale,  Va.,  June  30,  resigned  Decem 
ber,  1862.  George  B.  Chalmers  next,  served  to  end  of  term. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  23 

The  regiment  was  now  about  filled  up,  and  regular  duty 
began,  the  boys  having  to  settle  down  to  the  routine  work  of 
soldiers  in  camp.  No  doubt  many  of  our  younger  generation 
think  that  while  the  soldiers  were  in  camp  they  had  a  kind  of 
picnic.  Of  course,  while  fighting  or  marching,  they  know  the 
boys  had  many  dangers  and  hardships,  but  while  not  engaged 
in  these  they  imagine  the  men  had  nothing  to  do  but  loaf 
around,  play  cards,  skylark,  and  have  a  general  good  time. 
An  examination  of  a  soldier's  day's  work  in  camp  might  dis 
abuse  the  minds  of  some  of  these  people  of  this  idea,  and  we 
give  a  description  of  the  same  while  the  army  was  in  quarters : 

At  6  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  bugle  at  headquarters 
sounded  the  reveille,  and  a  few  minutes  after,  the  martial 
bands  of  all  the  regiments  would  be  playing  that  well-known 
call,  making  the  air  vibrate  with  the  thunder  of  their  drums, 
bringing  the  tired  and  sleepy  boys  out  of  their  little  tents  to 
form  in  line  in  the  company  streets,  while  the  orderly  sergeant 
would  call  the  roll,  each  man  answering  to  his  name. 

At  7  o'clock,  the  breakfast  call  would  be  sounded,  when  the 
boys,  each  one  carrying  his  tin  cup  and  tin  plate,  would  go  to 
the  cook  house  of  his  Company  and  have  his  tin  filled  with 
strong,  black  coffee,  and  receive  a  chunk  of  mess  beef  which, 
for  some  unknown  reason,  the  boys  denominated  "sea  horse," 
and  two  or  three  hard  tack.  Those  who  possessed  money 
could  buy  butter  from  the  sutler,  put  up  in  pound  cans,  and 
which  had  an  odor  that  would  turn  the  stomach  of  any  but  a 
hungry  soldier. 

Soon  as  breakfast  was  over,  guns  were  cleaned  and  scoured, 
quarters  put  in  order,  and  everything  properly  policed  about 
the  tents. 

Guard  mounting  began  at  8  o'clock.  Each  company  fur 
nished  a  certain  number  of  men  daily  for  this  duty.  These 
details  were  marched  to  the  color  line,  and  with  martial  band 
at  their  head,  paraded  to  brigade  headquarters  where  the 
details  from  all  the  regiments  in  the  brigade  were  formed  into 
line  and  inspected  by  the  officers  of  the  guard.  Each  one  was 
required  to  have  his  gun  clean  and  bright,  all  buttons  and 


24  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

brasses  shining,  shoes  blackened  and  polished,  and  clothing 
brushed.  If  any  unfortunate  had  neglected  to  clean  his  gun 
properly,  or  his  accoutrements  were  not  in  good  order,  he  was 
sent  to  the  guard  house  to  perform  some  extra  duty  as  a 
penalty.  The  squads  were  then  marched  back  to  their  respec 
tive  regiments,  where  the  men  were  assigned  to  their  several 
posts  of  duty;  such  as  guarding  camp,  headquarters,  commis 
sary  stores,  etc. 

At  9  o'clock  the  different  companies  (if  the  weather  was 
not  too  bad)  were  marched  to  some  neighboring  field  and 
drilled  in  the  manual  of  arms  and  various  company  maneuvers. 
This  generally  lasted  until  12  o'clock,  when  they  were  marched 
back  to  camp  and  had  dinner  which  consisted  of  a  tin  full  of 
bean  soup,  crackers,  and  a  small  piece  of  meat,  mostly  fresh 
beef.  The  men  rested  until  half  past  one  when,  at  the  call  of 
the  bugle,  the  camp  wras  again  a  scene  of  bustle  and  confus 
ion.  The  men  strapped  on  their  knapsacks,  cleaned  and  pre 
pared  for  regimental  or  brigade  drill. 

At  2  o'clock,  with  a  band  playing  at  the  head  of  each  regi 
ment,  they  would  march  to  the  field  and  for  hours  would 
practice  those  movements  and  evolutions  which  enable  a  large 
body  of  men  to  act  in  concert  like  a  piece  of  machinery. 

At  4  o'clock  they  would  return  to  camp  and  after  a  short 
rest  would  prepare  for  dress  parade.  This  was  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  and  imposing  of  all  military  ceremonials.  The 
regiment  dressed  in  its  best,  with  everything  as  bright  as  it 
could  be  made,  the  men  fell  into  line  by  companies  and  in  a 
few  minutes  a  line  of  1,000  men  stood  silent  and  immovable 
like  statues.  The  band,  standing  on  the  right  of  trie  line,  led 
by  the  drum  major  with  his  big  brass-headed  staff,  struck  up 
a  slow  and  solemn  air  and  marched  down  the  front  of  the  line 
to  the  extreme  end,  then  wheeled,  and  changing  the  air  to  a 
lively  one,  returned  briskly  to  their  position  at  the  head  again. 
About  100  feet  in  front  of  the  center  of  the  line  the  Colonel 
took  his  position.  At  a  command  from  the  Adjutant,  the 
orderly  sergeants  of  the  companies  advanced  to  the  front  and 
center,  and  saluting,  gave  their  report  of  the  officers  and  men 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  25 

present  and  absent.  After  the  orderlies  had  returned  to  their 
position,  the  Adjutant  read  any  orders  that  related  to  matters 
concerning  the  service.  The  commissioned  officers  then 
advanced  in  line  to  front  center  and  saluted  the  Colonel,  who 
acknowledged  it,  and  parade  was  dismissed.  The  soldiers  now 
free  from  the  burdens  of  the  day,  were  like  boys  dismissed 
from  school,  and  for  awhile  the  camp  resounded  with  their 
whoops  and  yells. 

At  half  past  eight  the  martial  band,  taking  a  position  near 
the  center  of  the  camp,  played  the  tattoo  and  the  evening  roll 
was  again  called  in  the  company  street. 

At  9  o'clock  three  taps  were  given  on  a  drum  and  then  all 
lights  were  put  out  in  quarters  and  no  loud  talking  or  other 
noise  was  permitted,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  camp,  which 
had  been  so  noisy,  settled  down  to  a  death-like  stillness. 

This  was  the  regular  routine  of  every  day's  camp  life,  so  it 
can  be  seen  that  it  was  not  a  life  of  quiet  and  ease.  Of  course, 
when  the  weather  was  rainy  or  tempestuous,  the  drills  were 
omitted  and  the  boys  put  in  their  time  in  reading,  mending 
their  clothes,  or  visiting  each  other  in  their  tents. 

About  September  i,  1861,  Dr.  Marks  began  his  services  as 
Chaplain  of  the  Regiment,  administering  alike  to  the  spiritual 
and  bodily  wants  of  the  men,  in  a  manner  that  endeared  him 
to  every  one  in  the  regiment.  In  his  "Peninsular  Campaigns" 
Dr.  Marks  describes  his  experience :  "My  first  care  was  to 
distribute  testaments  and  hymn  books  among  the  men.  With 
these  some  had  been  supplied  before  leaving  home.  The  first 
week  I  appeared  in  camp  I  distributed  to  those  who  came  to 
my  tent,  400  copies  of  the  New  Testament  in  four  different 
languages,  English,  German,  French  and  Italian,  and  during 
the  same  week,  600  small  hymn  books  called  the  "Soldier's 
Hymn-Book,"  drawing  my  supplies  from  the  American  Tract 
Societies  of  New  York  and  Boston.  From  more  than  100 
tents  the  evening  hymn  ascended  to  heaven,  and  these  sacred 
songs  were  sung  with  an  emotion  hitherto  unknown  for  they 
reminded  them  of  home,  and  dear  friends,  and  brought  back 
afresh  the  most  solemn  and  impressive  scenes  in  their  lives. 


26  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

My  custom  was  to  have  two  public  services  on  the  Sabbath. 
These  were  held  in  the  open  ground  of  the  camp,  and  were 
well  attended  by  men  and  officers. 

Very  soon  I  found  it  essential  to  find  a  tent  for  public  wor 
ship,  and  one  was  obtained  that  had  done  several  year's  duty 
in  camp-meeting  service.  This  the  strong  winds  of  October 
blew  to  pieces,  and  we  were  for  several  weeks  without  any 
covering  or  shelter.  Until  the  first  of  December  we  held  our 
meetings  in  a  large  guard  house  which  had  been  reared,  but 
this  we  found  very  unsuitable  and  smoky. 

We  made  arrangements  to  start  in  camp  various  classes  for 
mutual  instruction,  two  in  the  Latin  language,  one  in  the 
study  of  German,  one  in  arithmetic,  and  most  important  of  all, 
a  debating  society.  In  order  to  carry  successfully  into  execu 
tion  all  these  plans  for  improvement,  I  wrote  to  friends  in 
Pittsburgh  for  the  means  to  -purchase  a  tent  for  public  wor 
ship,  and  such  assemblies  as  would  conduce  to  the  benefit  of 
the  regiment.  Most  generously,  and  without  the  delay  of  an 
hour,  they  responded,  authorizing  the  purchase  of  a  tent. 
The  very  day  the  letter  was  received,  a  large  tent  was  offered 
for  sale  in  a  neighboring  camp,  which  was  immediately  pur 
chased,  and  before  night  we  had  it  pitched,  a  floor  laid,  and 
stove  placed  in  it.  We  met  first  in  this  tent  about  January 
ist,  on  a  Sabbath  morning,  with  a  large  congregation,  some 
seated  on  camp  stools,  some  on  rude  benches,  some  on  the 
floor,  and  many  standing  at  the  entrance  of  the  tent.  The 
interest  of  the  occasion  was  greatly  increased  by  the  presence 
of  Mrs.  Hays,  the  Colonel's  wife,  then  on  a  visit  in  camp  to 
her  husband,  Mrs.  Jameson,  the  General's  wife,  matrons  and 
hospital  nurses.  The  season  was  one  of  the  greatest  interest 
and  pleasure.  It  was  the  bursting  of  sunshine  through  the 
darkness  that  had  hung  over  us  like  a  pall ;  it  reminded  us 
of  home;  it  was  almost  a  church.  Many  eyes  swam  in  tears, 
and  many  voices  choked  with  emotion  as  we  sang.  During 
these  months  hundreds  in  the  camp  found  the  highest  joy  in 
religious  meetings,  and  with  ever  new  pleasure,  they  came 
together  to  hear  the  gospel.  It  was  a  season  never  to  be  for- 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  27 

gotten.  Many  were  brought  to  the  saving  grace  of  Jesus,  and 
for  weeks  my  tent  was  crowded  at  the  meetings.  I  resolved, 
after  consulting  with  the  officers  and  friends,  to  form  a  church 
in  the  regiment.  We  had  nearly  100  men,  officers  and  soldiers, 
who  were  members  of  various  churches.  For  harmony,  it  was 
essential  to  form  the  church  on  principles  common  to  all  and 
I  therefore  drew  up  a  form  of  doctrine  and  covenant  to  which 
all  could  assent,  and  which  would  bind  us  in  unity,  and  bear 
with  it  all  the  sanctity  of  a  sacred  agreement. 

Before  the  communion  I  devoted  every  hour,  when  the  men 
were  in  camp,  to  visiting  from  tent  to  tent,  and  talked  with 
each  separately  or  in  the  tent  circle,  in  regard  to  their  religi 
ous  hopes  and  views. 

On  Sabbath/February  9,  1862,  we  organized  the  church,  and 
received  into  its  communion  i/o  members,  about  sixty  of 
whom  for  the  first  time  confessed  Christ.  At  the  commence 
ment  of  the  services  I  baptized  six  young  soldiers ;  they 
kneeled  before  me  and  I  consecrated  them  to  God  for  life  and 
for  death — the  majority  of  them,  it  proved,  for  death.  Then 
followed  the  communion  service.  This  was  one  of  the  most 
affecting  and  impressive  services  of  my  life." 

Mrs.  Hays,  in  a  letter  to  her  family  at  home,  describes  this 
beautiful  and  solemn  occasion  : 

"Sunday,  February  2,   1862. 

"Today  we  found  the  large  tent  crowded  so  that  not  even  standing 
room  could  be  secured.  Still  I  managed  to  get  in.  I  never  was  in  a 
more  solemn  assembly.  After  dinner  Colonel  Hays  drove  me  to  the 
hospital,  where  I  found  the  patients  Idoking  clean  and  comfortable, 
much  better  than  when  I  was  here  before,  and  not  one  severe  case, 
most  of  them  suffering  with  rheumatism.  As  Alex.  (Colonel  Hays) 
passed  along  the  beds,  he  had  a  cheerful  and  pleasant  word  to  speak 
to  all.  How  kindly  he  was  answered!  Some  tried  to  get  up  that 
they  might  speak  or  catch  his  hand.  His  influence  is  wonderful. 
The  lady  nurses  speak  in  the  highest  terms  of  him.  As  we  rode 
home  we  stopped  on  the  brow  of  a  hill  to  enjoy  the  view.  At  our 
feet  lay  the  camps  of  fifty  regiments,  all  'out  on  dress  parade,  and  as 
the  sun  shone  upon  the  glistening  bayonets,  it  looked  more  like  a 
scene  of  enchantment  than  one  of  civil  war;  the  music  floated  upon 
the  evening  breeze,  making  me  feel  sad.  How  many  will  return  to 


28  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

their  homes,  God  alone  knows!  After  supper  I  went  again  to  the 
prayer  meeting  and  some  of  the  prayers  I  will  never  forget;  some 
were  for  a  widowed  mother,  some  were  for  a  wife  and  children. 
Tattoo  beat  while  we  were  in  prayer.  I  never  knew  it  had  to  come 
so  soon. 

"This  week  is  to  be  devoted  to  prayer  meetings  each  evening. 
Next  Sunday  Dr.  Marks,  Chaplain,  intends  to  have  a  communion;  a 
number  of  young  men  are  to  unite  with  the  church  and  become 
'Soldiers  of  the  Cross.'  Several  will  be  baptized." 

"Sunday,  February  9,  1862. 

"The  Sixty-third  start  on  three  'days'  picket  duty  tomorrow  at 
daybreak,  so  Camp  Johnston  will  be  deserted,  except  for  the  guard. 

"This  morning  we  had  communion  service  for  the  first  time. 
There  were  nearly  two  hundred  communicants,  sixty  of  whom  took 
the  sacrament  for  the  first  time.  Mrs.  Jameson  and  General  came 
over  and  went  with  me.  Brothers  Danks,  Jones  and  I  composed  the 
choir,  but  all  joined,  and  I  have  seldom  heard  better  singing,  for 
all  sang  from  their  hearts." 


CHAPTER  II. 

(From  September  12,  1861,  to  March  17,  1862.) 


CAMP  SHIELDS— CAMP  JOHNSTON,  ALIAS  CAMP  PENNYROYAL— DESERTER 
DRUMMED  OUT  OF  SERVICE— MILITARY  EXECUTION — PICKET  DUTY — 
POHICK  CHURCH— FLAG  PRESENTATION. 


"Our  past  is  bright  and  grand 

In  the  purpling  tints  of  time 
And   the   present   of   our   land 

Points   to   glories   more   sublime. 
For  our  destiny  is  won, 

And  'tis  ours  to  lead  the  van 
O'f   the   natrons   marching   on, 

Of  the  moving  hosts  of  Man. 

Yes,   the  starry  Flag  alone 

Shall   wave  above  the  van 
Of   the   nations  sweeping   on 

Of  the  moving  hosts  of  man." 

— Joseph  A.  O'Conner. 

/""*  AMP  HAYS,  named  in  honor  of  our  Colonel,  was  a  pleas 
ant  place,  situated  on  some  gently  rolling  ground  a  short 
distance  east  of  the  Capitol,  of  which  we  had  a  good  view. 

On  September  I2th  we  had  quite  an  excitement.  A  com 
pany  that  had  been  sent  to  our  regiment  by  mistake,  being 
intended  for  another  regiment,  discovered  their  error,  and 
striking  their  tents  were  preparing  to  leave.  The  rest  of  the 
regiment  was  called  on  to  stop  these  proceedings.  The  men 
who  wanted  to  leave  were  at  once  surrounded  by  leveled 
bayonets  and  their  Captain  arrested.  It  looked  squally  for  a 
time,  but  after  a  while  things  were  properly  explained  and 
the  Captain  was  permitted  to  take  his  men  away. 

Men  were  arriving  daily  to  fill  up  the  different  regiments 
and  soon  all  the  landscape  became  dotted  over  with  camps, 
and  in  every  direction,  the  canvas  habitations  were  rising  and 
the  magic  city  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  being  rapidly 
built  up.  It  was  during  this  month  that  we  got  our  uniform?. 


30  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

and  they  were  sadly  needed.  To  tell  the  truth,  we  had  been 
most  wretchedly  ragged  and  any  one  of  us  approaching  a 
house  at  the  present  day,  clad  as  we  were  then,  would  be 
driven  off,  or  have  the  dogs  set  on  us  as  suspicious  characters 
or  tramps.  The  uniforms  consisted  of  a  dark  blue  blouse,  light 
blue  trousers,  shirts  that  were  half  wool  and  half  cotton,  low, 
broad-soled  shoes,  small  forage  caps  and  very  good  under 
shirts  and  drawers.  Our  first  clothing  was  mostly  misera.ble 
shoddy  foisted  on  the  government  by  rascally  contractors. 
The  trousers,  as  soon  as  they  got  wet,  went  to  pieces,  and 
nearly  every  soldier  could  be  seen  going  around  with  his  knees 
seeking  the  fresh  air.  Afterward  we  drew  reasonably  good 
dress  coats,  overcoats  and  high  hats.  These  hats  caused  con 
siderable  grumbling  among  the  boys.  They  were  high,  stiff 
affairs,  and  had  enough  brass  fixings  about  them  to  make  a 
preserving  kettle.  We  only  drew  them  once  and  were  glad 
that  they  never  asked  us  to  wear  them  again. 

No  more  beautiful  sight  could  be  seen  or  imagined  than  to 
stand  on  some  neighboring  eminence  just  as  the  day  was 
dawning,  and  watch  the  army  waking  up.  At  first  the  bugles 
at  the  different  headquarters  would  sound  the  reveille,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  the  bands  of  the  different  regiments  took  up 
the  call  until  the  air  vibrated  with  the  rolling  of  the  drums 
and  the  music  of  the  fifes.  This  brought  the  boys  hurrying 
out  of  their  tents  to  answer  morning  roll  call  and  prepare  for 
the  duties  of  the  day.  Soon  the  smoke  from  innumerable  cook 
fires  announced  that  breakfast  was  being  prepared,  and  all  the 
noise  and  clatter  of  a  day  in  the  army  began. 

On  September  i8th,  Colonel  Alex.  Hays  arrived  at  camp 
from  Pittsburgh}  where  he  had  been  superintending  the  recruit 
ing  of  the  remainder  of  the  regiment.  The  boys  received  him 
with  an  ovation  which  must  have  been  very  gratifying  to 
him.  In  a  letter  to  his  wife,  Colonel  Hays  tells  of  his  recep 
tion  as  follows : 

"I  arrived  in  camp  safe  and  sound,  and  if  you  had  witnessed 
my  reception  you  would  be  disposed  to  be  jealous.  This  fam 
ily  of  nine  hundred  children  were  frantic,  and  if  ever  a  poor 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  31 

parent  was  hugged  to  death,  I  came  near  suffering  that  fate. 
I  am  very  much  pleased  with  my  regiment,  as  I  ought  to  be, 
for  it  pleases  everybody  else." 

Up  to  this  time  Lieutenant  Colonel  Morgan  had  been  in 
command  and  had  drilled  the  men.  Colonel  Morgan  was  a 
good  officer  and  was  very  well  liked  by  the  men.  He  was 
pleasant  and  affable,  and  could  be  approached  by  any  of  the 
soldiers.  He  listened  to  any  complaint  they  had,  and  was 
always  ready  to  render  any  justice  that  was  due  them. 

Alex.  Hays,  our  Colonel,  was  a  thorough  soldier,  hot  and 
fiery  and  impetuous  at  times,  but  courteous  and  kindly  withal ; 
he  infused  his  spirit  into  his  men,  and  it  was  this  peculiarity 
that  made  the  Sixty-third  one  of  the  most  famous  regiments 
in  the  war.  At  first,  when  the  boys  were  green  in  the  service, 
he  was  most  patient  with  them,  taking  great  pains  to  instruct 
them  in  the  various  duties,  being  very  lenient  to  their  mis 
takes  until  they  had  time  to  master  all  the  duties  of  a  soldier, 
and  then  he  expected  them  to  be  sure  to  perform  them  prop 
erly  or  they  would  quickly  hear  from  him  in  a  way  they  did 
not  fancy.  He  was  just  to  his  men,  and  though  he  occasion 
ally  hauled  them  over  the  coals  severely,  he  would  not  have 
suffered  the  commanding  General  to  abuse  them.  He  was 
quick  to  see  that  any  wrongs  they  might  have  were  speedily 
righted,  and  nothing  brought  an  outburst  of  wrath  from  him 
quicker  than  to  discover  that  someone  was  trying  to  wrong 
or  impose  upon  any  of  his  boys.  On  the  officers  he  made  the 
lash  of  his  discipline  fall  promptly,  and  woe  to  that  officer  who 
disobeyed  his  orders  or  tried  to  shirk  his  duty. 

Early  in  1862,  Major  Wallace  tendered  his  resignation, 
which  was  accepted,  and  he  returned  to  his  home.  The  gallant 
William  S.  Kirkwood  was  promoted  in  his  place.  Kirkwood 
was  a  true  soldier,  brave  and  fearless,  and  was  soon  after  made 
Lieutenant-Colonel  and  received  his  death  wound  at  Chancel- 
lorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863. 

Our  Chaplain  was  Rev.  Junius  J.  Marks,  a  good  man   in 
every  sense  of  the  word,  and  a  true  friend  of  the  soldier. 
After  the  arrival  of  Colonel  Hays,  the  work  of  drilling  went 


32  -UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

on  rapidly  and  soon  the  Sixty-third  could  march  and  maneuver 
with  the  precision  of  veterans. 

Some  humorous  incidents  occurred  here,  worthy  of  men 
tion.  It  was  noticed  that  many  of  the  men  were  indulging  in 
drinking,  and  the  Colonel  gave  orders  to  the  camp  guards  to 
search  every  man  coming  into  camp,  and  if  any  liquor  was 
found  on  him,  it  should  be  destroyed.  That  stopped  the 
bringing  in  of  the  liquor,  but  only  for  a  short  time,  and 
it  was  evident  to  all  that  considerable  of  the  ardent  was 
being  smuggled  into  camp.  It  was  a  mystery  how  it  was 
done,  but  at  last  it  was  discovered.  Watermelons  were  plenty 
in  Washington,  and  most  of  the  boys  who  went  to  the  city 
would  bring  back  a  watermelon  which,  of  course,  was  not 
considered  contraband,  and  here  is  where  the  cunning  chaps 
got  their  work  in.  One  would  purchase  a  large  melon,  cut 
a  square  hole  in  it,  and  with  a  spoon  scrape  out  all  the  soft 
inside,  then  filling  it  up  with  whiskey,  would  insert  the  plug 
and  with  this  melon  under  his  arm,  march  proudly  into  camp. 
But  one  day  a  member  of  Company  C  came  to  grief.  Just  as 
he  passed  the  guard  at  the  gate,  he  let  his  melon  fall.  It 
bursted  and  lo,  over  a  pint  of  whiskey  ran  out.  That  ended 
the  carrying  in  of  liquor  by  the  watermelon  line. 

Although  everything  had  taken  on  a  warlike  appearance,  we 
still  firmly  believed  the  war  would  end  within  a  year.  True, 
we  expected  to  do  some  fighting,  but  we  believed  that  one 
good  battle  would  settle  the  business,  that  we  would  so  ever 
lastingly  whip  the  rebels  that  they  would  forever  end  their 
idea  of  fighting  the  North,  and  we  were  anxious  that  our  armv 
be  hurried  on  to  meet  the  foe.  John  McCune,  of  Company  A, 
said  one  day,  "Why  don't  they  move  us  on  against  the  rebs 
and  let  us  lick  them  all  to  thunder?  I  want  to  get  back  home 
about  Christmas."  Poor  John,  he  never  saw  his  home  again ; 
the  deadly  swamps  at  Yorktown  caused  his  death. 

We  remained  at  Camp  Hays  until  September  28th,  when  on 
the  afternoon  of  that  day,  orders  came  to  strike  tents  and  pre 
pare  to  move, — where,  we  did  not  know.  During  our  stay  at 
this  camp,  the  men  were  drilled  daily,  and  had  become  pro- 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  33. 

ficient  in  the  manual  of  arms,  in  battalion  and  company  drills, 
and  were  well  posted  in  the  movements  that  afterward 
gave  this  regiment  its  prestige  for  well  known  efficiency.  The 
tents  struck,  loaded  in  wagons,  and  everything  in  readiness, 
we  left  Camp  Hays  for  which  we  had  grown  to  have  quite  an 
affection.  We  marched  down  through  the  city  of  Washington 
and  halted  on  the  bank  of  the  Potomac,  where  boats  plied 
between  the  city  and  Alexandria.  Soldiers  had  become  so 
common  in  the  city  of  Washington  that  the  passage  of  a  regi 
ment  through  the  streets  did  not  cause  any  excitement  or 
comment.  In  a  short  time  we  were  marched  on  board  an 
immense  ferry  boat  where  we  were  stowed  like  sardines  in  a 
box.  We  had  no  idea  as  to  our  destination,  and  some  of  the 
boys  supposed  that  we  would  be  taken  to  where  we  would 
soon  see  active  service.  However,  the  boat  proceeded  to 
Alexandria,  Va.,  where  she  lay  at  the  wharf  until  morning, 
none  of  the  men  being  allowed  to  leave  until  we  received 
orders  to  disembark.  As  soon  as  it  became  light  we  were 
taken  arhore  and  encamped  in  the  street  leading  to  the  main 
part  of  the  city.  When  this  portion  of  the  army  crossed  the 
Potomac,  the  rebels,  who  had  taken  their  post  at  Munson's 
Hill,  withdrew  and  fell  back  toward  Manassas. 

The  great  curiosity  to  the  boys  at  this  time  was  the  Marshall 
House  on  King  Street,  where  Colonel  Ellsworth  had  been  shot 
by  J.  W.  Jackson,  the  proprietor,  while  in  the  act  of  taking 
down  a  rebel  flag  that  was  flying  from  the  roof  of  the  house. 
The  building  had  become  a  kind  of  Mecca  to  the  soldiers  who 
were  desirous  of  securing  some  relic  to  send  home  to  friends, 
and  when  we  visited  it  on  the  morning  of  September  29,  1861, 
it  was  astonishing  to  see  how  completely  it  had  been  demol 
ished.  The  flag  staff  had  been  entirely  cut  away  and  of  the 
stairs  where  Ellsworth  had  fallen,  not  a  vestige  remained. 
Every  soldier  wanted  to  send  a  piece  to  his  friends  as  a  valu 
able  relic  of  this  noted  place,  and  if  every  piece  of  wood  that 
was  sent  home  as  the  "original"  flag  staff  of  the  Marshall 
House  could  have  been  collected  together,  they  would  have 
furnished  enough  material  to  have  constructed  a  dozen 


34  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

immense  flag  staffs.  When  our  regiment  visited  it,  not  a 
particle  of  the  old  flag  staff  remained,  but  that  did  not  matter 
to  the  boys.  The  first  letter  they  wrote  to  their  friends  con 
tained  a  slip  of  pine  wood  labeled  "Piece  of  the  flag  staff  of 
the  Marshall  House,  Alexandria,  where  Colonel  Ellsworth  was 
shot,"  and  no  doubt  today  there  may  be  found  in  some  homes, 
among  other  cherished  relics  of  war,  a  piece  of  wood  which  the 
descendants  of  some  soldier  proudly  show  to  their  friends  as 
a  part  of  that  historical  flag  staff,  little  dreaming  that  it  was 
nothing  more  than  a  slice  taken  off  a  common  block  of  pine 
picked  up  by  the  roadside. 

After  visiting  this  building  and  snatching  a  hasty  breakfast 
of  hard  tack  and  drinking  a  tin  of  coffee  made  on  a  fire  kindled 
in  the  middle  of  the  street,  we  took  a  run  through  the  old  town 
and  saw  a  number  of  places  of  historic  interest.  The  bugle 
then  sounded  the  assembly,  and  again  we  fell  into  line  and 
with  the  military  band  playing  "Yankee  Doodle"  to  soothe  the 
feelings  of  the  "secesh"  element  which  abounded  in  Alex 
andria,  we  marched  out  the  Leesburg  Pike  and  ascended  a 
long  hill,  halted  about  two  and  a  half  miles  from  Alexandria, 
and  were  ordered  to  pitch  our  tents  and  form  camp.  This 
camp  was  known  as  Camp  Shields,  and  we  remained  here 
until  the  I4th  of  October. 

It  seems  almost  incredible  that  so  many  years  have  rolled 
away  into  the  misty  past  since  we  took  up  the  life  of  a  soldier, 
and  that  the  stooped  and  shriveled  gray-haired  men  whom  we 
meet  today  were  the  stalwart  and  strong  men  who  followed 
the  Stars  and  Stripes  and  marched  proudly  in  their  strength 
to  the  drum  beat,  yet- so  it  is.  Few  are  left  of  that  mighty 
army  that  encamped  around  the  Nation's  Capitol  in  the  fall 
of  that  memorable  year,  1861.  Their  comrades  are  sleeping  on 
every  battlefield — in  the  swamps  of  the  Chickahominy,  by 
the  murmuring  waters  of  the  Rappahannock,  in  the  wild 
wastes  of  the  Wilderness,  on  the  slopes  of  Gettysburg  and 
hundreds  of  other  battlefields. 

"Their  good  swords  rust, 
Their  bones  are  dust, 
But  their  souls  are  with  the  saints  we  trust." 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  35 

In  the  Southern  prison  pens,  those  hells  upon  earth,  thous 
ands  yielded  up  their  lives  amidst  such  dreadful  scenes  of 
suffering  as  cause  the  blood  to  chill  in  the  veins  when  spoken 
of  even  at  this  distant  day. 

Camp  Shields,  named  in  honor  of  the  Shields  family  of 
Sewickley,  was  situated  on  the  Leesburg  Pike,  on  the  farm  of 
Mrs.  Powell.  The  spirit  of  vandalism  was  one  of  the  things 
to  be  regretted  in  the  army.  The  large,  handsome  house  was 
used  as  a  hospital,  the  owners  having  fled  to  Richmond  at  the 
approach  of  our  army,  and  the  surroundings  were  soon 
destroyed  by  the  same  vandalism.  The  beautiful  fruit  and 
ornamental  trees  and  shrubbery  were  cut  down,  the  fences  and 
outbuildings  used  for  fuel,  and  in  a  short  time  everything  wore 
the  look  of  desolation.  When  the  owners  returned  and  looked 
over  their  once  beautiful  home,  how  they  must  have  cursed  the 
hated  Yankees,  deep  and  bitter. 

While  encamped  at  this  place  we  were  visited  by  the  Presi 
dent  and  Mrs.  Lincoln.  They  drove  slowly  by  while  the 
ragged  boys  stood  in  picturesque  groups,  backed  up  close  to 
each  other  to  hide  as  much  as  possible,  the  dilapidated  condi 
tion  of  their  wardrobes.  This  was  the  first  time  many  of  us 
had  seen  the  President,  and  we  all  agreed  that  a  more  homely 
man  would  be  hard  to  find.  As  Sergeant  "Bob"  Nesbit 
remarked  at  the  time,  "He  looked  exactly  like  an  old  farmer 
going  to  a  cross-roads  church." 

When  at  Camp  Shields  we  witnessed  our  first  military 
funeral.  A  member  of  the  Ninety-ninth  Pennsylvania  Regi 
ment,  which  then  belonged  to  our  brigade,  died  and  was  buried 
with  the  honors  of  war.  We  will  never  forget  our  feelings 
as  we  saw  the  martial  band,  with  slow  rolling  muffled  drums 
and  measured  step,  precede  the  simple  pine  box  that  contained 
the  remains  of  "Somebody's  Darling."  The  squad,  with 
reversed  arms  and  solemn  visages,  slowly  wended  their  way  to 
the  open  grave  on  the  quiet  hillside.  The  sad  strain  of  the 
dead  march  sent  a  chill  to  every  heart.  We  were  not  used  to 
such  things  then.  After  the  body  was  lowered  into  the  shallow 
grave  and  the  three  volleys  were  fired  over  it,  the  band  struck 


36  UNDER   THE    RED   PATCH 

up  a  lively  tune  and  the  poor  fellow  was  left  on  the  lonesome 
hillside,  soon  to  be  forgotten  by  all,  save  away  in  a  Northern 
home  a  wife  or  mother  would  weep  bitter  tears  over  the  loved 
one  who  would  return  no  more  and  whose  low  grave  they 
would  never  see. 

"Somebody's  waiting  and  watching  for  him, 

Yearning  to  hold  him  again  to  her  breast; 
And  there  he  lies  with  his  blue  eyes  dim, 

And  the  smiling,  child-like  lips  apart. 
Tenderly  bury  the  fair  young  dead — 

Pausing  to  drop  on  his  grave  a  tear, 
Carve  on  the  wooden  slab  o'er  his  head, 

'Somebody's  Darling  Slumbers  Here.'  " 

It  was  in  this  camp  that  we  received  our  first  pay,  $11.00 
in  gold  for  one  month's  service.  The  government  had  prom 
ised  to  pay  its  soldiers  in  gold  or  its  equivalent,  but  for  some 
reason  it  went  back  on  its  word  and  we  were  often  paid  in 
greenbacks  when  gold  was  worth  $2.50,  thus  making  our 
$13.00  monthly  pay  about  $5.20  on  a  gold  basis.  As  soon  as 
the  boys  had  drawn  their  scanty  pay,  the  officers  were  besieged 
for  passes  to  go  to  Alexandria,  where  many  spent  their  little 
all  in  a  few  hours  in  some  of  the  rum  holes,  while  others  sent 
their  scanty  mite  home  to  their  families. 

Camp  Shields  was  not  a  suitable  place  for  a  regular  camp, 
as  the  surrounding  country  was  too  hilly  and  broken  to  have 
regular  battalion  drills.  While  here  we  were  joined  by  Dr. 
Crawford,  a  most  excellent  surgeon,  kind  and  friendly  in  his 
manner,  and  all  the  boys  soon  grew  to  love  him,  but  we  were 
not  allowed  to  keep  him  long  for  sometime  in  October  he  was 
promoted  to  brigade  surgeon.  The  following  February,  to  the 
great  delight  of  the  men,  we  got  Surgeon  James  K.  Rodgers, 
a  good  kind  of  a  fellow,  but  he  was  dismissed  from  service 
with  a  number  of  other  officers  July  26,  1862,  on  charges  pre 
ferred  by  Colonel  Hays,  on  account  of  leaving  his  post  in  time 
of  battle. 

On  Monday,  October  I4th,  just  after  we  had  finished  our 
dinner  of  beans  and  hard  tack,  orders  came  to  strike  tents  and 
get  ready  for  the  march.  We  had  no  idea  of  our  destination, 
but  the  regular  camp  rumors  were  that  we  were  to  go  to 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  37 

Manassas,  as  the  enemy  were  reported  to  be  in  force  there  and 
as  we  thought  only  of  meeting  and  thrashing  him  and  thus 
ending  the  war,  we  were  in  high  glee.  In  a  very  short  time 
the  canvas  city  disappeared  as  by  magic,  the  tents  were 
bundled  into  wagons,  the  boys  strapped  on  their  knapsacks, 
filled  their  canteens,  shouldered  their  muskets,  and  to  the 
enlivening  music  of  the  fife  and  drum,  started  off  gaily  from 
Camp  Shields. 

We  marched  down  the  old  Leesburg  Pike  a  short  distance 
and  then  filed  right.  We  left  Alexandria  on  our  left,  and 
crossing  the  historical  Hunting  Creek,  noted  for  the  immense 
flocks  of  wild  geese  and  ducks  that  frequented  its  waters, 
passed  the  partly  completed  Fort  Lyon,  and  after  going  about 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  further  on  the  Alexandria  and  Pohick 
Road,  encamped  on  the  farm  of  a  noted  rebel  named  George 
Mason.  We  were  now  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  and  in  the  Corps  commanded  by  General  Heintzel- 
man. 

A  more  bitter  or  non-compromising  rebel  never  lived  than 
this  man  Mason  upon  whose  farm  we  were  encamped.  He 
hated  the  very  name  of  North,  and  everything  connected  with 
it.  A  more  haughty,  overbearing  autocrat  never  existed,  and  it 
was  gall  and  wormwood  to  him  to  see  the  boys  in  blue  on  his 
place,  and  the  hated  Stars  and  Stripes  flaunted  in  his  very  face. 
He  was  a  prominent  politician,  also  a  magistrate,  and  it  was 
said  his  great  delight  was  to  have  poor  whites  arrested  for 
petty  larceny,  trading  with  his  negroes,  or  other  trival  charges. 
He  would  have  them  tied  to  a  post  in  his  yard  and  would  sit 
on  his  porch  and  rub  his  hands  with  glee  to  see  them  writhe 
under  the  lash  well  laid  on  by  a  stalwart  overseer.  He  had 
been  very  wealthy,  and  as  a  politician,  had  worked  hard  to 
embitter  the  South  against  the  North.  He  was  the  author  of 
the  celebrated  bill  brought  up  in  convention  to  have  all 
Northern  men  expelled  from  the  State  of  Virginia,  and  was 
one  of  secession's  most  ardent  advocates. 

But  a  day  of  retribution  came  at  last.  One  beautiful  morn 
ing  in  May  he  was  startled  by  the  terrible  news  that  Colonel 


38  UNDER   THE   RED   PATCH 

Ellsworth,  with  his  Zouaves,  had  crossed  the  Potomac,  entered 
Alexandria,  and  invaded  the  "sacred  soil  of  Virginia."  Ter 
rible  consternation  seized  him  at  once,  and  hasty  preparations 
were  made  for  immediate  flight.  He  gathered  up  his  large 
band  of  slaves,  packed  up  his  plate  and  other  valuables,  loaded 
his  wagons,  put  his  family  into  carriages,  and  in  the  wildest 
haste,  made  a  start  for  Richmond.  But  he  had  a  bitter  dose 
yet  to  swallow.  Just  as  his  family  carriage,  followed  by  his 
slaves,  reached  the  great  gate  leading  to  the  Pohick  Road,  a 
squad  of  Union  Cavalry  dashed  up  and  halted  the  procession. 
The  family  was  terribly  frightened,  and  it  is  said  that  Mason's 
profanity  was  sublime  and  picturesque.  He  cursed  the  Union 
and  its  defenders,  called  them  mud  sills,  Lincoln  hirelings, 
Yankee  scum,  and  other  pet  names,  declaring  that  such  an 
outrage  on  a  Virginian  gentleman  would  cause  rivers  of  blood 
to  flow.  But  the  soldiers  were  firm  and  marched  him  and  his 
family  back  to  the  house  where,  for  many  weary  months,  he 
was  compelled  to  remain  a  prisoner,  never  being  permitted  to 
leave  the  premises.  This  meant  a  holiday  for  his  slaves,  many 
of  whom  ran  off,  all  delighted  at  the  state  of  affairs  and 
greatly  enjoyed  the  discomfiture  of  "ole  mastah." 

The  camp  where  we  were  now  located  was  known  as  Camp 
Johnston,  though  the  boys  with  their  usual  habit  of  giving 
fanciful  names  to  all  our  camps,  called  it  "Camp  Pennyroyal," 
and  here  Jameson's  Brigade  settled  down  and  remained  until 
March  17,  1862. 

A  soldier  of  the  regiment  named  Henry  Gaterman,  was  a 
peculiar  character  and  his  eccentricities  on  many  occasions 
created  much  merriment  among  his  comrades  in  arms.  The 
first  occasion  on  which  his  peculiarities  were  brought  promi 
nently  to  notice,  was  one  night  when  he  was  on  guard  and  the 
"grand  rounds"  were  expected  to  visit  us.  The  so-called  grand 
rounds  consisted  of  a  commissioned  officer  accompanied  by  a 
sergeant  and  several  men  who  make  a  nightly  visit  to  the 
several  regiments  comprising  a  brigade  to  see  that  the  sen 
tinels  are  up  to  their  duty  and  that  a  strict  guard  is  being  kept. 
If  possible,  the  grand  rounds  would  slip  in  past  the  guard  by 


STORY  OF  .THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  39 

stratagem,  and  it  was  considered  a  great  disgrace  on  that 
regiment  if  such  a  thing  was  done  as  it  was  an  evidence  of 
carelessness  on  the  part  of  the  guards,  and  also  reflected  on 
the  officers,  hence,  when  the  grand  rounds  were  expected,  the 
sentinels  were  cautioned  particularly  to  be  on  the  "qui  vive," 
and  receive  him  in  the  proper  manner. 

On  this  particular  night,  Henry  was  on  duty  at  a  point 
where  Colonel  Hays  expected  the  grand  rounds  to  enter  the 
camp,  so  he  gave  him  careful  instructions  as  to  how  he  should 
act.  He  said : 

"Now  remember.  When  you  see  several  men  approaching 
you,  call  out,  'Halt!  Who  goes  there?'  If  they  answer  'Grand 
Rounds,'  you  will  sa}^,  'Halt,  grand  rounds.  Advance  Sergeant 
with  the  countersign !'  The  Sergeant  will  then  come  forward 
and  whisper  the  countersign,  and  you  will  then  say,  'Correct; 
advance  grand  rounds ;'  and  then  permit  them  to  pass." 

This  he  repeated  several  times  over  and  over  again  until 
Henry  said  he  had  it  perfect. 

Sure  enough  that  night,  about  midnight,  the  grand  rounds 
appeared  at  Henry's  post.  In  a  loud  stentorian  voice  Henry 
called  out : 

"Halt!   Who  goes  dere?" 

Promptly  came  the  response : 

"Grand  Rounds." 

Poor  Henry  had  forgotten  what  to  say  next,  but  after  a 
moment's  study  he  called  out: 

"All  right,  come  aheat." 

The  grand  rounds  came  into  camp,  went  to  the  guard  head 
quarters  and  sent  a  messenger  to  awaken  Colonel  Hays  and 
inform  him  that  the  regiment  had  been  captured.  The  anger 
of  the  colonel  was  terrible,  and  Henry  languished  in  the  guard 
house  for  over  a  week  and  was  compelled  to  carry  a  rail  up 
and  down  the  color  line  for  several  hours  each  day.  He  after 
ward  said,  when  talking  about  it : 

"Ouf  I  had  knowed  it  would  hafe  make  so  much  drubble,. 
besser  it  vas  I  would  hafe  shot  der  grant  rouns  ven  he  come 
arount." 


40  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

He  never  could  understand  why  it  was  necessary  for  a  senti 
nel  to  be  so  strict,  and  some  of  us,  finding  out  how  easy  he 
was,  used  to  go  up  to  him  when  he  was  on  guard  and  say, 
"Henry,  I  want  to  go  outside  a  little  while  and  will  be  back 
soon."  His  invariable  reply  was,  "All  right,  go  aheat."  At 
last  he  was  caught  letting  soldiers  through  the  guard  line 
without  the  countersign  and  another  dose  of  guard  house  and 
rail  carrying  followed.  This  changed  his  temper  and  he 
warned  us  all  to  keep  away  from  him  at  night  when  he  was 
on  guard,  and  the  very  next  time  one  of  the  boys  tried  to  dodge 
past  him  he  shot  at  him  and  if  his  aim  had  been  good,  there 
would  have  been  a  dead  soldier.  He  was^not  a  coward  by  any 
means,  nor  did  he  shirk  his  duty,  but  was  so  bungling  and 
awkward  that  he  escaped  many  a  dangerous  affair  by  being 
left  in  camp  when  the  regiment  went  out  on  an  extra  hazard 
ous  duty.  All  the  boys  were  sorry  when  they  learned  that 
Henry  was  dead,  for  he  had  caused  many  a  hearty  laugh  dur 
ing  the  tiresome  routine  of  camp  life. 

Camp  Johnston  was  a  very  pleasant  place,  and  soon  we 
were  settled  to  regular  camp  life.  Details  from  our  regiment 
and  from  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  worked  daily  at  com 
pleting  Fort  Lyon.  The  weather,  during  the  remainder  of  the 
month  of  October,  continued  very  fine.  The  boys  of  Company 
A  "threw  together"  and  purchased  a  couple  of  good  violins 
at  Alexandria,  and  as  there  were  several  good  players  in  the 
company,  nearly  every  night  there  were  stag  dances  held  in 
the  company  streets.  Colonel  Hays,  knowing  the  benefit  of 
these  amusements  to  the  boys,  encouraged  such  things  and 
the  boys  enjoyed  it,  but  with  the  advent  of  November  the 
weather  became  very  disagreeable.  Cold  rain  storms  were 
almost  of  daily  occurrence,  and  all  out-door  sports  had  to 
cease.  We  began  to  arrange  our  winter  quarters,  as  it  was 
evident  we  would  not  move  before  spring.  We  went  into  the 
woods  and  procured  a  number  of  small  trees  which  were  cut 
into  lengths  of  about  eight  feet,  and  with  these  built  little 
log  houses  about  eight  feet  high  and  on  top  of  these  set  our  A 
tents.  A  stick  and  mud  chimney  was  built  at  one  end,  and 


\ 


\  rf 


V 


STORY  OF  THE   SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  41 

thus  we  were  housed  as  comfortably  as  could  be  expected. 
These  stick  and  mud  chimneys  often  caught  fire  in  the  cold 
nights  when  too  much  fire  was  kept  up,  and  it  was  a  common 
sight  to  see  the  inmates  of  a  tent  suddenly  sally  forth  and 
kick  over  their  chimney  in  order  to  save  their  tent.  A  great 
many  practical  jokes  were  perpetrated  by  the  mischevious  sol 
diers,  on  their  comrades.  One  was  to  quietly  slip  up  and  place 
a  board  over  the  top  of  the  chimney  which  would  soon  smoke 
out  the  inmates.  Another  trick  which  caused  much  profanity, 
was  to  sneak  up  when  the  tent  was  closely  tied  shut,  and 
throw  several  blank  cartridges  down  the  chimney.  These  fall 
ing  into  the  fire  would  explode  and  scatter  the  fire  and  ashes 
all  over  the  soldiers  sleeping  therein.  This  would  cause  a 
sudden  rush  from  the  tent,  but  the  perpetrators  would  have 
made  themselves  invisible,  and  well  for  them  they  had,  or 
they  would  have  been  severely  injured. 

It  was  when  we  lay  near  Fredericksburg,  and  the  victim 
was  a  member  of  our  regiment,  that  we  had  our  first  "drum 
ming  out"  affair.  It  was  a  case  of  desertion,  and  yet  can 
hardly  be  called  desertion  either.  The  man  did  not  desert  to 
the  enemy,  neither  did  he  leave  the  army  and  go  home,  but 
he  left  his  command  and  went  out  on  a  huckstering  tour,  buy 
ing  goods  from  the  sutlers  and  peddling  them  through  the 
different  camps,  making  money  at  the  business.  Of  course, 
being  absent  from  the  ranks  and  unaccounted  for,  he  was 
marked  on  the  rolls  as  a  deserter.  He  had  been  peddling  some 
time  when  he  was  arrested  and  returned  to  his  regiment.  A 
court  martial  was  convened,  and  he  was  regularly  tried  and 
found  guilty.  His  sentence  was  that  he  should  have  the  but 
tons  cut  off  his  uniform,  half  his  head  shaved,  be  branded  on 
the  hip,  and  then  drummed  out  of  camp. 

Lieutenant  R.  A.  Nesbitt  was  the  officer  of  the  guard  on  the 
day  the  sentence  was  to  be  executed.  The  prisoner  was  in 
the  guard  house,  and  when  he  knew  what  was  coming,  being 
a  plucky  fellow,  he  was  determined  that  they  should  not  cut 
off  his  buttons,  that  being  a  mark  of  deep  degredation,  so  he 
pulled  every  one  off  his  blouse,  thus  expecting  to  baffle  the 


42  UNDER   THE    RED    PATCH 

officers  having  his  punishment  in  charge,  but  Lieutenant 
Nesbitt  had  every  button  sewed  on  again  and  then  deliberately 
cut  them  all  off,  thus  carrying  out  that  part  of  the  sentence. 
The  next  act  was  shaving  half  the  head  and  the  poor  wretch 
kicked  most  vigorously  against  that,  but  the  numbers  were 
against  him  and  he  was  compelled  to  submit.  The  next  per 
formance  was  a  brutal  one,  which  later  was  expunged  from  the 
list  of  punishments.  He  was  marched  down  to  the  regimental 
blacksmith  shop  and  the  letter  "D"  branded  on  his  right  hip. 
The  fellow  was  so  plucky,  however,  that  he  never  winced.  A 
lid  of  a  cracker  box  was  then  hung  on  his  back  with  the  word 
"DESERTER"  painted  on  it  in  large  black  letters.  Eight  men 
then  formed  behind  him  with  bayonets  fixed,  the  martial  band 
was  placed  in  front  of  him  and  struck  up  the  "Rogues  March," 
the  procession  started,  accompanied  by  several  hundred  spec 
tators,  and  marched  him  to  the  guard  line.  As  soon  as  he 
passed  over  the  line  he  received  what  the  boys  called  the  part 
ing  salute,  which  consisted  of  a  volley  of  old  shoes,  tin  pans, 
and  other  miscellaneous  matter,  and  he  was  turned  loose  to  go 
where  he  saw  fit,  dishonored  and  disgraced  forever.  But  to 
show  the  peculiar  traits  of  soldiers,  though  every  one  of  his 
old  companions  helped  to  heap  ignominy  on  his  head,  though 
they  willingly  helped  to  have  him  suffer  this  disgrace  on 
account  of  his  crime  against  his  duty  as  a  soldier,  no  sooner 
was  he  cast  adrift  helpless  and  in  deep  dishonor,  than  num 
bers  of  them  met  him  outside  the  limits  of  the  camp  and 
gave  him  clothes  and  money  to  help  him  get  away.  He  wan 
dered  off,  and  what  became  of  him  never  was  learned.  Feel 
ing  deeply  his  disgrace,  he  never  returned  to  his  home,  which 
was  near  Pittsburg,  and  his  friends  know  nothing  about  him. 

One  day  a  certain  soldier  ran  away  at  the  battle  of  Fair 
Oaks,  and  being  brought  before  Colonel  Hays  he  forgave  him 
for  that  offense,  but  told  him  if  he  ever  did  so  again  he  would 
have  him  drummed  out  of  camp ;  this  threat  had  such  an  effect 
on  him  that  he  never  flinched  afterward,  but  always  kept  his 
place  in  time  of  great  danger,  and  in  the  bloody  charge  at 
second  Bull  Run  was  literally  blown  to  pieces  by  a  shell.  Poor 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  43 

fellow !  drumming  out  had  more  terror  for  him  than  death. 
Another  terrible  episode  we  were  witnesses  of,  was  a  mili 
tary  execution,  and  it  was  a  sight  that  we  never  will  forget. 
We  sawr  once  a  man  executed  by  hanging,  and  the  terrors  of 
that  sight  remained  with  us  for  many  days,  but  hanging  does 
not  be^in  to  comoare  with  the  solemn  and  awful  sight  of  a 
man  being  put  to  death  by  military  law.  In  this  case  the 
victim  belonged  to  a  certain  regiment  of  the  Second  Division. 
He  had  become  tired  of  soldiering,  or  disgusted  with  the  ser 
vice,  or  his  sympathies  were  with  the  rebels,  but,  at  any  rate, 
while  on  picket  one  night  he  deserted  his  post  and  started  for 
the  rebel  lines.  .  On  his  way  he  met  a  squad  of  what  was 
called  the  Lincoln  Cavalry  that  had  been  reconnoitering.  He 
asked  who  they  were  and  the  captain,  supposing  that  he  had 
strayed  out  of  our  lines  and  wishing  to  give  him  a  good  scare, 
told  him  that  they  were  a  band  of  Confederate  Cavalry.  The 
soldier  told  them  he  was  glad  of  that,  as  he  had  deserted  from 
the  Union  forces  and  was  on  his  way  to  join  the  Confederates. 
The  astonished  captain,  still  keeping  up  his  assumed  character 
of  a  rebel,  plied  him  with  questions  as  to  the  strength  and 
position  of  the  Federal  forces,  and  the  fellow  told  all  he  knew 
about  it.  After  thoroughly  pumping  him,  the  captain  told  him 
who  he  was  and  arrested  him.  He  was  taken  to  headquarters, 
and  in  a  few  days  a  court  martial  sat  upon  his  case.  The 
evidence  against  him  was  so  overwhelming  that  he  was  sen 
tenced  to  be  shot. 

The  morning  of  the  execution  was  dark  and  gloomy,  a  fit 
morning  for  so  gruesome  a  deed.  The  division,  under  arms, 
formed  the  three  sides  of  a  hollow  square.  In  the  open  side, 
a  freshly  dug  grave  was  a  sign  of  the  tragedy  soon  to  be 
enacted.  By  its  side  was  a  coffin  on  which  the  doomed  man 
was  seated.  After  the  Chaplain  had  prayed  with  him,  he  was 
placed  on  his  knees  facing  the  center,  a  handkerchief  was  tied 
over  his  eyes,  his  arms  were  pinioned  behind  him,  and  at  a 
signal,  the  firing  squad  of  twelve  men  marched  up  and  took 
their  position  in  front  of  him.  It  was  truly  a  solemn  sight. 
Over  eight  thousand  men  stood  motionless  as  though  carved 


44  UNDER   THE   RED   PATCH 

from  stone,  while  the  darkness  and  gloom  of  the  day  added  to 
the  solemnity  of  the  occasion,  and  not  a  man  in  the  vast  host 
but  would  rather  have  helped  to  storm  a  battery  in  full  action 
than  gaze  at  that  terrible  transaction.  During  a  battle  you 
may  see  your  next  man  shot  down  by  your  side  and  not  mind 
it  at  the  time,  owing  to  the  excitement,  but  here  everyone 
felt  a  chill  prevading  his  being.  The  twelve  guns  used  by  the 
firing  squad  are  loaded  by  a  detail  appointed  for  that 
purpose,  eleven  of  them  with  ball  and  one  with  blank  cart 
ridge,  so  each  one  may  have  the  hope  he  did  not  fire  the  deadly 
shot.  This  is  done  in  sympathy  with  the  men  composing  the 
squad  as  it  is  a  terrible  thing  to  shoot  at  a  comrade  in  cold 
blood. 

As  soon  as  the  firing  squad  had  taken  its  position,  the  Chap 
lain  retired  and  the  officer  gave  the  squad  a  signal.  Instantly 
the  twelve  guns  were  brought  to  a  ready,  another  signal  and 
they  were  brought  to  aim — we  believe  every  man  heard  the 
beating  of  his  own  heart — another  signal  and  the  pointed  guns 
belched  forth  their- deadly  contents  with  a  crash  which,  to  our 
highly  strung  nerves,  sounded  louder  than  a  cannon  shot.  As 
soon  as  the  cloud  of  smoke  cleared  away,  a  form  in  blue  was 
seen  writhing  upon  the  ground  in  the  agony  of  death.  The 
entire  division  was  marched  past  the  spot  that  all  could  see 
the  corpse  and  take  warning  from  his  fate,  the  body  was 
thrown  into  the  rough  box  and  quickly  lowered  into  the  grave 
and  the  men  went  back  to  their  camps,  leaving  their  comrade 
sleeping  in  an  unhonored  grave  over  which  no  comrade  or 
friend  would  ever  strew  flowers  or  express  any  regret.  Poor 
fellow !  his  crime  was  great  and  terrible  had  been  the  penalty, 
yet  it  was  necessary  to  teach  a  fearful  lesson  to  others  not  to 
betray  their  country. 

All  the  surviving  members  of  the  Sixty-third  will  remember 
the  active  work  of  our  Chaplain,  Rev.  Dr.  Marks,  to  cheer  up 
the  boys  during  the  long,  cold  and  stormy  winter  of  '61  and 
'62,  while  we  lay  in  Camp  Johnston.  During  the  latter  part 
of  November  there  set  in  a  long  spell  of  stormy  and  miserable 
weather,  the  ground  was  a  mass  of  mortar,  the  tents  were 


STORY  OF  THE   SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  45 

flooded,  the  weather  became  most  dismal  and  gloomy,  and  the 
men  were  unable  to  leave  their  quarters  save  when  they  were 
compelled  to  stand  guard,  sometimes  almost  to  their  knees  in 
mud,  the  cold  rain  falling  on  them,  chilling  them  to  the  bone, 
and  all  began  to  grow  restless  and  impatient.  Letters  from 
home  informed  us  that  a  great  change  had  taken  place  there, 
all  manufacturing  concerns  had  started  up  with  a  boom  and 
wages  were  higher  than  ever  before ;  those  who  had  remained 
at  home  were  coining  money,  while  many  of  the  wives  and 
little  ones  of  the  soldiers  were  beginning  to  feel  the  cold  grip 
of  poverty  and  were  suffering  from  sickness,  cold  and  hunger ; 
those  big-hearted  Union  savers  who  said,  "Go  boys,  go  and 
save  our  beloved  country  and  we  will  take  care  of  your  families 
and  see  that  they  do  not  suffer,"  had  forgotten  their  promises 
and  the  soldiers'  wives  and  children  soon  had  nothing  to 
depend  upon  but  the  scanty  $13.00  a  month  which  were  paid 
him  at  irregular  intervals.  To  make  it  worse,  all  the  necessi 
ties  of  life  began  to  go  up  in  price,  and  the  mother  of  a  large 
family  began  to  be  sorely  pressed  for  the  bread  for  herself 
and  her  hungry  brood.  These  troubles  she  told  her  soldier 
husband  in  her  letters,  consequently  many  of  the  boys  in  blue 
began  to  feel  the  corroding  of  the  fetters  that  bound  them  to  a 
military  life  from  which  there  was  no  escape.  Their  friends 
and  neighbors  at  home  were  reaping  a  golden  harvest,  while 
their  loved  ones  were  wanting  the  necessaries  of  life.  All  these 
things  angered  the  soldiers,  their  faces  became  gloomy  and 
their  hearts  grew  sad,  and  in  many  cases  the  result  soon 
became  apparent.  Some  became  homesick,  the  worst  sickness 
that  can  befall  a  man,  a  sickness  that  mocks  at  medicine  and 
the  doctor's  skill ;  they  became  despondent  and  were  sent  to 
the  hospital,  where  many  sank,  despite  the  doctor's  care,  and 
passed  away  from  life. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Chaplain  Marks  showed  his  tact 
as  a  man  who  understood  these  peculiar  phases  of  men  under 
such  circumstances,  and  he  began  at  once  to  devise  plans  to 
divert  their  thoughts  as  much  as  possible  from  brooding  over 
their  home  troubles.  He  started  various  things  of  an  inter- 


46  UNDER   THE    RED    PATCH 

esting  character;  gave  lectures  every  week  on  pleasant  sub 
jects,  and  as  he  had  traveled  extensively  in  the  Holy  Land, 
his  lectures  on  Palestine  were  highly  appreciated.  He  organ 
ized  a  night  school,  a  debating  society,  and  various  other  plans 
to  amuse  the  men.  He  had  a  large  hospital  tent  which  was 
used  as  a  house  of  worship  and  for  entertainments,  and 
scarcely  an  evening  passed  that  it  was  not  well  filled.  In  all 
these  efforts  for  the  entertainment  of  the  men,  he  was  well 
seconded  by  Colonel  Hays,  who  was  always  anxious  for  the 
welfare  of  his  soldiers.  Chaplain  Marks  went  from  tent  to 
tent,  conversed  with  the  men,  and  organized  a  church  in  camp, 
at  which  large  numbers  congregated  regularly.  In  short,  the 
good  work  done  by  this  aged  minister  during  the  gloomy 
winter  will  never  be  fully  appreciated. 

Pickets  are  the  advance  guard  placed  from  one  to  two  miles 
and  sometimes  much  farther  in  advance  of  the  main  body  of 
the  army,  according  to  its  proximity  to  the  enemy.  During 
the  winter  we  lay  at  Camp  Johnston,  a  body  of  the  enemy  were 
encamped  opposite  our  left,  on  the  Occoquan,  a  sluggish 
stream  that  flowed  into  the  Potomac  about  three  miles  from 
Mt.  Vernori.  The  Richmond  road  from  Alexandria  crosses  it 
about  six  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  at  its  crossing  the  old- 
fashioned  and  dilapidated  village  of  Occoquan  was  situated. 
The  enemy's  force,  said  to  number  about  30,000  men,  under 
General  Wigfall,  held  the  heights  and  occupied  the  fords. 
About  five  or  six  miles  above  the  Occoquan,  and  running 
parallel  with  it,  was  the  stream  called  Accotink,  which  also 
flowed  into  the  Potomac.  Our  picket  lines  were  on  the  Acco 
tink  while  those  of  the  rebels  were  on  the  Occoquan,  and 
between  these  two  streams  was  a  tract  of  country  which  might 
be  called  debatable  ground  which  was  overrun  by  the  scouts 
of  both  armies,  and  parties  from  either  side  would  collect  for 
age  and  pick  up  everything  of  a  portable  nature  that  could  be 
used  in  camp,  hence  the  people  living  on  this  tract  were  in  a 
sad  predicament,  being  robbed  by  both  sides — not  a  chicken, 
sheep,  hog,  or  anything  eatable  left  them,  save  such  things  as 
they  could  securely  hide  from  the  keen-eyed  foragers.  Some- 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  47 

times  these  scouting  parties  would  meet  and  there  would  be 
a  skirmish.  An  affair  of  this  kind  occurred  on  the  night  of 
the  5th  of  March,  1862.  We  were  on  picket  at  Pohick  Church, 
and  a  detachment  of  the  regiment,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Morgan,  had  gone  out  on  a  scout  toward  Occoquan.  The  rebels 
prepared  a  trap  for  them,  and  as  they  were  passing  along  a 
dark  and  lonely  road,  they  were  saluted  by  a  severe  fire  from 
the  enemy  in  ambush  which  killed  Captain  C.  W.  Chapman 
of  Company  K,  Quartermaster  James  S.  Lysle  and  Private 
Cyrus  Moore  of  Company  G,  and  wounded  several  others. 
Our  men  returned  the  fire,  but  it  is  not  known  if  any  of  the 
rebels  were  killed  or  wounded.  In  these  things  the  enemy, 
on  account  of  their  knowledge  of  the  ground  and  having  the 
sympathy  of  the  inhabitants,  who,  by  some  means  or  other, 
always  managed  to  notify  them,  escaped  when  we  thought 
we  had  them  bagged. 

The  regiments  comprising  a  brigade  were  sent  out  in  turn 
on  picket  service  alternately.  They  remained  out  three  days, 
and  the  boys  were  well  pleased  with  it  when  the  weather  was 
pleasant,  as  they  were  exempt  from  all  drills  and  camp  duties. 
It  always  gave  them  an  opportunity  to  do  some  foraging  on 
the  sly,  and  many  a  chicken's  life  went  out  and  many  a  potato 
patch  yielded  its  quota  to  furnish  a  supper  around  a  camp  fire 
in  the  dark  woods.  The  picket  posts  were  about  100  yards 
apart,  but  this  was  arranged  to  suit  the  lay  of  the  land,  and 
sometimes  they  were  much  closer.  At  these  posts  six  men 
were  stationed,  and  they  generally  constructed  a  bush  shelter 
where  they  slept  while  off  duty.  The  advance  line  was  usually 
placed  along  a  road  or  path  and  stood  about  twenty  paces 
apart.  A  signal  and  countersign  were  given  each  one,  and 
when  you  approached  the  picket  you  had  to  give  the  signal ; 
you  then  advanced  and  gave  the  countersign  which,  if  correct, 
you  were  allowed  to  pass,  but  after  dark  it  was  extremely 
dangerous  work  to  approach  a  picket.  Often  during  the 
proximity  of  the  enemy,  the  pickets  were  ordered  not  to  chal 
lenge  anyone  coming  from  the  direction  of  the  enemy,  but 


48  UNDER   THE    RED    PATCH 

fire  at  once.  The  men,  especially  green  troops,  were  more 
likely  to  fire  without  heeding  orders. 

On  November  8th  we  lost  one  of  our  men  in  this  way. 
There  was  an  alarm  on  the  picket  line,  and  a  young  German 
named  Joseph  Gardner  of  Company  G,  hurried  up  the  line  to 
inform  his  officer  of  the  trouble,  and  owing  to  his  excitement 
and  difficulty  to  speak  the  English  language  promptly,  he 
hesitated  when  challenged.  That  hesitation  was  fatal,  the 
next  moment  he  was  shot  dead  by  the  picket. 

There  was  no  position  more  dangerous  than  standing  on  a 
lone  picket  post  in  the  dead  of  night,  not  knowing  at  what 
moment  the  deadly  crack  of  a  sharpshooter's  musket  would 
break  the  stillness  and  the  picket  would  be  "off  duty  forever." 

In  a  short  time  our  lines  were  extended  still  further  with 
headquarters  at  Pohick  Church.  This  memorable  building, 
where  Washington  used  to  attend  divine  services,  was  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  relics  of  the  days  of  the  Father  of  His 
Country.  It  stood  on  the  Richmond  road,  twelve  miles  west 
of  Alexandria,  in  a  beautiful  situation  on  a  hill  above  Pohick 
Creek,  surrounded  by  forests  of  pine  and  other  trees.  It  was 
of  brick,  with  stone  corners  and  stone  floors.  The  pews  were 
square  pens  and  the  pulpit  resembled  a  huge  bird  cage  with 
a  steep  stairway  leading  to  it.  The  church  was  built  in  1773 
by  a  number  of  the  distinguished  old  families — the  Lees, 
Masons,  Washingtons,  Fairfaxes,  and  others.  The  bricks  used 
in  its  construction  were  brought  from  England. 

Our  army  was  materially  assisted  when  on  picket,  by  a  man 
named  Dan  Williamson,  who  called  himself  the  "Scout  of 
Pohick."  He  was  a  resident  of  this  part  of  the  country,  and 
although  what  was  known  as  a  "poor  white,"  was  very  shrewd 
and  keen.  On  account  of  some  injury  received  from  some  of 
the  wealthy  rebels,  he  regarded  them  with  a  most  deadly 
hatred  and  did  all  in  his  power  to  injure  them  out  of  revenge. 
He  knew  every  road  and  bridle  path,  and  his  services  as  a  spy 
and  scout  were  invaluable.  After  the  war  he  attended  a  house 
raising,  and  some  of  those  who  had  served  in  the  army  and 
knew  of  his  actions  during  the  war,  killed  him  in  cold  blood. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  49 

Evidencing  the  strictness  of  Colonel  Hays,  regarding  order 
and  discipline  in  camp,  the  following  order  was  issued  at  the 
time  indicated  in  date  line: 

Headquarters  Sixty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers, 

Camp  Johnston, 

December  10,  1861. 
Regimental  Order  No.  11: 

All  gambling  and  card  playing  is  positively  prohibited  in  this 
camp.  Persons  disobeying  this  order  will  be  severely  punished. 

By  order  of 

ALEXANDER  HAYS, 
Colonel  Commanding  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
GEO.  P.  CORTS,  Adjutant. 

On  February  19,  1862,  a  change  was  made  in  the  old  Jameson 
Brigade.  The  Sixty-first  Regiment,  Colonel  O.  P.  Rippey, 
was  taken  out  and  in  its  place  we  got  the  Eighty-seventh  New 
York.  The  Ninety-ninth  Pennsylvania  Regiment  was  also 
taken  away  and  we  got  the  Fifty-seventh  Pennsylvania  Regi 
ment,  Colonel  Campbell,  in  its  place;  this  was  a  splendid  regi 
ment  and  had  an  excellent  record  as  a  fighter. 

The  year  1862  opened  up  brightly,  the  cold  and  disagreeable 
weather  of  November  and  December  passed  away,  and  bright 
sunshine  took  its  place.  The  camps  began  to  enliven  up  and 
the  men  became  cheerful.  A  number  of  officers,  who  had  been 
playing  the  hero  while  the  army  lay  in  winter  quarters  and 
there  was  little  or  no  danger,  as  soon  as  the  signs  of  an  active 
campaign  began  to  manifest  themselves,  threw  up  their  com 
missions  and  resigning,  returned  to  their  homes  rather  than 
imperil  their  precious  lives,  but  to  the  honor  of  other  officers, 
they  remained  with  the  boys  and  with  them  dared  the  hard 
ships  of  the  battlefield. 

On  January  5,  1862,  new  stands  of  color  were  presented  by 
the  State  to  the  Sixty-third  and  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ments,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  by  General  J.  K.  Moorhead, 
of  Pittsburgh,  on  behalf  of  the  State.  General  Moorhead 
spoke  as  follows : 

Colonels  Hays  of  the  Sixty-third,   and  McKnight  of  the   One  Hun 
dred  and  Fifth  Regiments,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers: 
I  have  been  designated  by  the  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth  of 


50  UNDER   THE   RED   PATCH 

% 

the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  to  present  these  beautiful  flags  to  you, 
and  through  you,  to  the  brave  men  of  your  regiments.  I  am  proud 
to  be  the  medium  used  on  this  occasion,  because  I  see  in  it  the 
paternal  care  of  the  old  Commonwealth  for  her  children.  She 
responded  early  and  nobly  to  the  President's  call  for  men.  She 
clothed,  armed  and  equipped  her  sons  and  sent  them  by  thousands, 
and  tens  of  thousands,  to  the  tented  field.  She  made  provision  for 
the  wives  and  families  of  her  absent  soldiers.  One  of  her  most  touch 
ing  acts  of  care  and  attention,  was  to  provide  a  flag  to  be  presented 
to  each  regiment,  to  be  borne  into  the  thickest  of  the  battle,  and 
again  returned  to  the  archives  of  the  state  when  war's  fierce  tempest 
is  stilled.  Upon  it  shall  be  recorded  the  deeds  of  valor  performed 
by  you  and  your  commands,  to  be  preserved  for  posterity,  and  thereby 
stimulate  them  to  like  deeds  of  daring  and  valor.  There  is,  there 
fore,  a  responsibility  in  giving,  and  a  greater  one  in  receiving,  these 
flags.  I  give  it  to  you,  sir,  (turning  to  Colonel  Hays),  with  full  con 
fidence  that  its  glory  and  honor  will  be  safe;  that  you  will  cherish 
it  as  the  "apple  of  your  eye."  Your  antecedents  tell  me  (if  I  do  not 
know  you)  that  you  will  defend  it  with  your  life's  blood.  But  I  do 
know  you,  sir,  as  a  native  son  of  Pennsylvania,  and  after  having 
fought  under  the  National  flag  in  Mexico  in  your  youth,  I  can,  with 
confidence,  now  in  the  full  vigor  of  your  manhood,  place  this  sacred 
boon  in  your  hands. 

The  courage,  bravery  and  military  skill  that  won  for  you,  so 
justly,  a  brevet-second  lieutenancy  on  the  field  of  Palo  Alto,  and 
afterwards  a  brevet  lieutenancy  on  the  plains  of  Resaca  de  la  Palma, 
will  not,  I  know,  fail  you  now,  when  you  have  such  a  noble  regiment 
as  this  now  before  me,  under  your  command.  I  therefore  look  with 
confidence  to  you  and  these  brave  men  for  a  brilliant  and  glorious 
record  for  the  Sixty-third.  And  you,  sir,  (addressing  Colonel 
McKnight),  although  never  having  won  a  brevet  on  the  field  of 
battle,  yet  the  valor  and  patriotism  you  have  so  promptly  exhibited 
in  responding  to  your  country's  call,  and  the  fact  of  closing  your  law 
books,  abandoning  your  briefs,  and  laying  down  your  pen  to 
unsheathe  the  sword  in  defense  of  your  country;  and  the  success  you 
have  already  had  in  bringing  into  the  field  this  noble  and  magnifi 
cent  regiment  of  hardy  woodsmen,  is  sufficient  evidence  to  me  of  your 
valor  and  ability.  I  therefore,  with  equal  confidence,  entrust  this 
banner  to  you,  knowing  that  it  will  never  be  dishonored  nor  yielded 
to  the  enemy. 

Take  these  flags,  Colonels,  into  the  midst  of  your  commands,  and  I 
know  the  brave  hearts  that  will  surround  them — many  of  them  my 
own  immediate  neighbors  and  constituents,  from  the  vicinity  of 
Washington's  earliest  campaigns — from  Braddock's  field,  Fort  Pitt 
and  the  Allegheny  valley — will  never  abandon  them  to  the  enemy, 


Original  Flag,  Sixty-third  Regiment,  in  Flag  Room  of  Capitol 
at   Harrisburg,   Pa. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

•F 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  51 

or  suffer  them  to  be  dishonored,  while  God  gives  them  life  and  power 
to  defend  them.  This  is  the  same  National  emblem  that  was  fired 
on  at  Fort  Sumter,  causing  a  thrill  in  every  patriot's  heart.  It  floats 
over  the  best  Government  that  God  ever  gave  to  man — one  which  the 
blood  of  our  forefathers  was  poured  out  like  water  to  establish,  and 
now,  I  regret  to  say,  that  ours  is  necessary  to  defend;  not  from  a 
foreign  foe,  or  a  distant  enemy,  but  from  the  parricidal  hands  of 
our  former  friends — of  those  who  have  carried  this  same  flag  with 
honor  on  many  a  battlefield.  I  will  not  now,  as  I  know  I  need  not, 
recapitulate  the  causes  of  this  war.  Our  Southern  brethren,  after 
governing  the  nation  almost  without  interruption  ever  since  the 
adoption  of  our  glorious  Constitution,  have  now,  in  their  madness 
and  folly,  attempted  to  strike  down  what  they  have  been  aiding  for 
nearly  a  century  to  build  up.  "May  God  forgive  them,  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do." 

I  believe  the  weakness  of  issuing  proclamations  has  not  yet  reached 
the  Colonels  of  regiments.  It  will  not,  I  know,  reach  you. 

The  business  of  the  soldier,  in  my  opinion,  is  to  deal  with  traitors 
and  rebels  in  a  more  summary  manner.  When  you  write  proclama 
tions,  Colonels,  I  will  expect  to  see  them  written  with  the  sword's 
point  in  the  blood  of  our  enemies. 

It  is  your  -business  to  put  down  this  rebellion,  to  carry  this 
National  emblem  of  Stars  and  Stripes,  with  the  Pennsylvania  coat  of 
arms  upon  it,  (showing  the  union  of  State  and  National  sovereignty), 
in  one  hand,  and  the  Constitution  of  our  country  in  the  other,  mak 
ing  war  upon  our  enemies,  giving  succor  and  support  to  our  friends. 

You  are  not  fighting  to  establish  or  to  overthrow  State  Govern 
ments,  but  to  restore  and  maintain  the  glorious  Constitution  and 
Union  given  us  by  our  fathers,  "one  and  indivisible,"  "now  and 
forever."  When  that  is  accomplished,  which  God  grant  may  speedily 
be  done,  your  work  will  be  finished.  You  will  then  return  home, 
and  receive  the  plaudits  and  homage  of  your  friends  and  grateful 
countrymen.  "May  God  protect  and  preserve  you  in  this  holy  work. 

Captain  Reid,  acting  for  Colonel  Hays,  in  behalf  of  the  Sixty-third 
Regiment,  responded  to  General  Moorhead  as  follows: 

General: — On  behalf  of  Colonel  Hays  and  the  officers  and  soldiers 
of  the  Sixty-third  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  it  becomes 
my  agreeable  duty  to  receive  this  beautiful  standard  at  your  hands, 
and  to  thank  you,  and  through  you  the  noble  old  Commonwealth 
of  Pennsylvania,  for  this  sign  of  recognition, — this  proof  of  sym 
pathy — this  sign  and  pledge  of  loyalty  and  victory. 

That  flag,  sir,  that  piece  of  colored  silk,  considered  in  itself,  is  of 
no  great  intrinsic  value.  It  never  yet  has  waved  over  victorious 
hosts  on  a  historic  field,  or  over  Columbia's  gallant  tars  on  any 
blood-stained  battle-deck.  It  has  probably  never  has  been  unfurled 


52  UNDER   THE    RED    PATCH 

but  once  or  twice  since  the  last  stitch  was  put  upon  its  hem,  and  it 
came  a  finished  fabric  from  the  hands  that  shaped  and  mounted  it. 
But  if  it  is  the  first  time  that  its  folds  have  kissed  the  breeze,  it  is 
far  from  being  a  fabric  merely  of  today  or  yesterday,  having  no  value 
or  significance  beyond  the  materials  of  which  it  is  composed  or  the 
striking  beauty  of  its  starry  blazonry.  It  has,  sir,  to  you  and  to  me, 
and  to  all  of  us,  a  value  and  a  meaning  far  beyond  all  this.  If  this 
standard  is  new,  in  one  sense  of  the  word,  it  is  nevertheless  the  same 
"old  flag" — God  bless  it! — under  which  our  fathers  fought  and 
triumphed  in  days  gone  by.  It  is  the  old  flag  around  which  cluster 
memories  and  associations  dear  to  every  American  heart — dear  even, 
if  they  dare  confess  it,  to  the  hearts  of  those  whose  traitorous  hands 
are  now  madly  raised  to  strike  that  standard  to  the  earth,  and  blot 
out  its  bright  constellation  in  blood  and  darkness.  It  is  the  same 
dear  old  flag  first  consecrated  by  Washington,  and  which  has  waved 
over  and  protected  our  land  ever  since  he  and  his  compatriots  made 
it  free  and  happy — the  freest,  and  until  now,  the  happiest  land  on 
earth.  In  a  word,  that  flag  has  in  the  short  space  of  three-quarters 
of  a  century  wrought  for  itself  a  glorious  history — a  history  with 
out  a  parallel  in  the  annals  of  the  world.  These  considerations  it 
is  that  make  its  folds,  its  stripes,  its  stars,  nay  its  very  hem  and 
tassels,  so  dear  to  us;  and  that  should  make  this  -occasion  of  its 
reception  an  era  in  our  regiment. 

You  see  before  you,  General,  a  thousand  Pennsylvania  soldiers 
composing  the  Sixty-third  Regiment.  These  strong  arms  and  brave 
hearts  have  been  brought  here  from  the  banks  of  the  Monongahela 
and  upper  Ohio,  from  the  waters  of  the  Beaver,  from  the  valley  of 
the  limpid  Allegheny  and  the  pine-clad  hills  of  Clarion.  They  have 
left  their  homes  and  all  that  makes  home  sweet  and  happy,  and  come 
here  to  fight,  and,  if  need  be,  to  die  for  the  Union  and  the  Constitu 
tion — in  defense  of  Constitutional  liberty  against  anarchy,  and  of 
legitimate  government  against  a  vast,  wicked,  armed  rebellion.  They 
have  sacrificed  everything  else,  and  come  hither  at  the  call  of  'duty 
and  of  country  to  assist  in  maintaining  the  very  existence  of  that 
country  now  seriously  threatened.  In  the  fulfilment  of  that  duty, 
whether  here,  on  what  was  once  Virginia's  sacred  soil,  or  under  a 
Carolina's  sun,  or  on  the  far  off  plains  of  Texas;  whether  against 
domestic  traitors,  if  the  parties  to  this  war  continue  as  they  are, 
or  against  a  foreign  enemy,  if  England  or  any  other  power  should 
dare  to  meddle  in  our  quarrel,  these  men  would  do  their  duty,  I  am 
confident,  and  do  it  as  becomes  Pennsylvanians,  even  without  a 
banner  like  that  to  stream  above  us  in  the  day  of  battle.  But  I  need 
not  say  that  with  that  banner  above  us — especially  when  presented 
to  us  by  our  native  State — native  at  least  to  nine-tenths  of  us — 
there  is  not  a  man  among  us  who  would  not  feel  twice  the  vigor  in 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  53 

his  arm  and  twice  the  enthusiasm  in  his  bosom,  in  the  crisis  of  the 
contest — in  that  trying  hour  in  which  in  almost  every  battle  that 
is  ever  lost  or  won,  so  much  depends  on  there  being  something  more 
to  animate  and  inspire  the  men  than  mere  physical  courage  or  con 
fidence  in  the  power  of  numbers.  In  such  an  hour  as  that,  if  it  ever 
comes  to  the  soldiers  of  the  Sixty-third,  if  anything  should  be  want 
ing  to  arouse  them  to  a  last  heroic  effort  to  win  the  field  or  fall  upon 
it,  it  would  be  a  glance  at  that  flag.  If  a  soldier's  sense  of  duty — if 
the  sacredness  of  the  cause  would  not  suffice, — if  the  thoughts  of 
home  would  not  determine  each  one  of  us  never  to  return  to  that 
home  dishonored — if  all  these  would  not  afford  motive  and  impulse 
enough  to  urge  us  on  and  sustain  us  to  the  last — we  need  only  look 
upwards  to  that  beauteous  banner — to  its  wavy  stripes  and  starry 
field — and  think  of  all  that  it  represents — and  think  too  of  the 
beloved  old  Commonwealth — our  common  mother — who  has  placed 
that  standard  in  our  hands  to  remember  her  by,  and  for  safe-keep 
ing;  and  then  if  these  yeomen  would  not  strike  again,  and  to  some 
purpose  too,  I  very  much  mistake  the  metal  they  are  made  of,  and 
the  influence  that  flag  is  apt  to  have  over  the  American  soldier  who 
fights  beneath  its  folds. 

It  would  not  become  me,  sir,  to  speak  of  the  officers  of  this  regi 
ment.  If  the  Sixty-third  shall  ever  falter  before  the  enemy,  or  fail 
to  carry  this  flag  gallantly  through  the  fight,  one  thing,  General, 
you  may  set  down  now  as  certain:  it  will  not  be  the  fault  of  Colonel 
Hays.  His  military  career,  as  you  intimate,  is  already  historic.  So 
far  as  he  is  concerned,  this  flag  will  be  in  safe  hands.  And  I  trust, 
I  feel  that  the  officers  and  soldiers  under  his  command  will  stand  by 
him  in  every  emergency,  and  prove  themselves  worthy  of  their  leader. 
If  they  do — Pennsylvania  need  never  blush  for  her  Sixty-third. 

And  now,  General,  thanking  you  in  the  name  of  the  regiment  for 
the  graceful  and  eloquent  manner  in  which  you  have  discharged 
your  mission;  and  thanking  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania  through 
whose  hands  the  State  bestows  upon  us  these  colors,  I  must  bring  my 
remarks  to  a  close.  I  join  with  you  in  the  hearty  hope  that  in  a  few 
short  months  this  rebellion  will  be  crushed  and  peace  restored  so 
that  the  Star-Spangled  Banner  may  wave  once  more  over  every  nook 
and  corner  of  "the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave." 

When  that  time  comes,  fellow  soldiers  of  the  Sixty-third,  for  those 
of  us  who  may  be  so  fortunate  as  to  survive  to  see  it;  and  when  we 
shall  return  to  enjoy  again  the  blessings  of  peace  under  the  pro 
tection  of  that  flag — when  we  shall  return  to  the  places  now  vacant 
at  the  family  hearth — when  we  shall  return  home  to  our  wives  and 
children,  home  to  our  parents,  brothers,  sisters,  friends,  aye  boys, 
and  sweethearts,  too;  and  when  we  shall  be  telling  of  the  part  we 
have  had  in  this  great  drama — of  our  "hair-breath  'scapes  and  mov- 


54  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

ing  accidents  by  flood  and  field,"  let  us  each  now  try  to  be  able  to  say 
then  with  truth — "I  was  true  to  my  colors.  I  never  deserted  my 
standard.  I  stood  by  the  old  flag,  God  bless  it!  God  bless  it!" 

A  rather  amusing-  affair  occurred  one  day  about  the  begin 
ning  of  March,  which  caused  a  commotion  in  camp.  It  was 
a  bright  day  and  had  been  rather  warm  in  the  forenoon,  but 
in  the  afternoon  a  sudden  squall  came  up.  It  was  a  regular 
tornado ;  the  tent  pins  gave  way  and  nearly  every  tent  in  camp 
was  leveled  to  the  ground.  Almost  all  the  men  were  inside,  and 
such  a  floundering  and  struggling  mingled  with  such  swearing 
as  only  soldier  boys  can  do,  was  never  witnessed  before.  The 
officers  fared  no  better  than  the  privates,  and  their  tents  went 
dowrn  also. 

On  Wednesday,  March  I2th,  we  started  out  on  what  was 
our  last  picket  duty  at  Pohick,  though  we  did  not  know  it  at 
the  time.  We  left  Camp  Johnston  about  9  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing  and  arrived  at  Pohick  about  noon.  Scarcely  were  the 
pickets  placed  in  position  when  a  startling  rumor  reached  us 
that  the  rebels,  who  had  been  in  heavy  force  at  Manassas  and 
Bull  Run,  had  withdrawn  their  lines  and  moved  back  to  Rich 
mond,  and  the  enemy,  under  General  Wigfall,  who  was  on  the 
Occoquan,  had  gone  also.  As  there  was  now  no  enemy  in  our 
immediate  front,  there  was  no  necessity  for  picket  guards, 
hence  orders  were  sent  promptly  to  Colonel  Hays  to  return 
at  once  with  his  regiment.  To  us  this  meant  active  business 
ahead.  It  was  also  joyful  news  to  a  number  of  Union  men 
whose  homes  were  on  the  Occoquan,  but  wrho  were  compelled 
to  leave  on  account  of  their  Union  sympathies,  at  the  break 
ing  out  of  the  war,  and  \vho  had  been  staying  at  Washington 
and  Alexandria  and  dared  not  visit  their  families  for  fear  of 
capture  by  the  rebels  and  being  forced  into  the  Confederate 
Army.  They  had  quickly  learned  of  the  evacuation  of  the 
place  by  the  enemy,  and  were  returning  overjoyed  to  again 
meet  their  wives  and  children.  They  passed  through  our  lines 
and  we  conversed  with  several  of  them,  but  never  did  we  meet 
men  who  were  so  bitter  in  their  views  about  secession  or  who 
could  curse  so  vehemently  the  Confederate  authorities  who 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  55 

had  flung  the  state  into  this  fratricidal  war.  After  snatching 
a  hasty  meal,  our  regiment  started  back  on  its  march  through 
the  mud  to  our  camp,  which  we  reached  about  dark,  tired  and 
footsore,  and  almost  covered  with  the  "sacred  soil"  in  the  form 
of  mud  which  was  of  fabulous  depth. 

Many  were  the  discussions  held  that  night  by  the  boys 
around  the  camp  fires  as  to  our  probable  destination;  many 
believed  that  we  would  be  taken  by  way  of  Manassas  and  thus 
come  upon  Richmond  from  the  north,  which  we  would  quickly 
take  and  have  the  war  ended  in  time  to  return  home  by  the 
Fourth  of  July.  Poor  fellows !  we  did  not  understand  that  the 
war  had  scarcely  begun  and  that  between  us  and  Richmond 
thousands  and  thousands  of  soldiers  would  leave  their  bones 
to  bleach  before  the  rebel  capitol  would  be  ours.  Well  for  us 
that  Providence  hides  the  future  from  our  view. 

The  next  morning  we  were  ordered  to  pack  up  ready  for  a 
start,  but  about  noon  the  order  was  countermanded.  It  was 
now  noticed  that  an  immense  fleet  of  vessels  of  all  kinds  were 
gathering  in  the  Potomac  at  Alexandria,  and  it  was  evident  the 
army  would  move  by  water,  but  where?  That  was  the  ques 
tion  that  agitated  everybody.  Some  thought  that  we  would 
be  taken  around  the  coast  to  South  Carolina  or  some  other 
point  further  south,  but  ,no  one  outside  of  the  chief  officers 
suspected  where  our  destination  would  be,  and  thus  we  lay  and 
surmised  until  March  I7th. 

On  Sunday,  March  i6th,  orders  were  issued  to  the  men  to 
cook  rations  for  three  days  and  be  prepared  to  leave  camp 
next  morning.  We  had  been  in  this  camp  since  the  I4th  of 
October,  and  it  had  become  partially  endeared  to  us  as  a  home. 
We  had  fixed  up  our  winter  quarters  until  we  were  surrounded 
with  many  comforts ;  now  we  were  about  leaving  them  forever 
to  engage  in  the  mighty  struggle  which  we  knew  was  before 
us,  and  we  could  not  help  feeling  a  shade  of  sadness.  During 
the  time  we  had  been  in  this  camp  we  received  many  things 
from  home  to  help  make  us  feel  comfortable  during  the  winter, 
in  the  way  of  extra  blankets,  quilts,  etc.,  and  these  we  could 
not  take  along  with  us.  In  the  lower  corner  of  the  camp  there 


56  UNDER   THE   RED   PATCH 

stood  a  little  shanty  occupied  by  a  family  of  slaves  belonging 
to  George  Mason,  the  owner  of  the  land  on  which  we  were 
encamped.  This  family  consisted  of  an  old  couple,  Uncle 
Amos  and  Aunt  Polly,  and  several  grandchildren.  Aunt  Polly 
was  a  typical  old  Virginia  "mammy"  and  was  a  great  favorite 
with  the  soldiers.  She  was  very  old  but  always  wore  a  broad 
smile  and  was  quite  cheerful,  believing  that  the  year  of  jubilee 
had  at  last  come  for  her  and  her  race.  In  a  conversation  with 
her  one  day  she  said: 

"Mastah,  I  knowed  yeahs  ago,  dis  wah  was  a-comin'.  I 
done  seed  de  signs  in  de  hebbens,  and  I  knowed  de  good  Lawd 
was  a-goin'  to  lead  us  out  ob  bondage,  an'  I  done  tole  my  ole 
man  so,  but  he  hadn't  de  faith  to  beleebe  it;  but  now  he  done 
knows  dat  it  was  true.  De  day  "hab  come,  praise  de  Lawd." 

When  we  broke  up  camp  we  gave  Aunt  Polly  everything 
we  could  not  take  along,  all  extra  bedding,  cooking  utensils 
and  many  other  things,,  and  the  old  woman  could  hardly  con 
tain  her  joy  at  this  sudden  acquisition  of  property  such  as  she 
ha'd  never  hoped  to  possess. 

"Why,  I'm  nearly  as  well  off  as  Mastah  Mason  now.  De 
Lawd  bress  de  kind  soger  boys."  And  when  we  marched  out 
of  camp  she  stood  by  her  little  cabin  weeping  bitterly. 


CHAPTER  III. 

(Prom  March  17,   1862,  to  May  4,   1862.) 


EMBARKATION  FOR  THE  PENINSULA — AT  FORTRESS  MONROE  —INCIDENTS 
OF  CAMP  LIFE— IN  FRONT  OF  YORKTOWN— A.  FIELD  HOSPITAL— 
THE  INTRENCHMENTS— EVACUATION  OF  YORKTOWN— OFFICIAL  RE 
PORT  OF  SIEGE  OF  YORKTOWN— PEACH  ORCHARD  AND  WYNN'S 
MILL. 


"All  quiet  along  the  Potomac,"  they  say, 

"Except  now  and  then  a  stray  picket 
Is  shot  as  he  walks  on  his  beat  to  and  fro' 

By  a  rifleman  hid  in  the  thicket; 
'Tis  nothing — a  private  or  two  now  and  then 

Will  not  count  in  the  news  of  the  battle; 
Not  an  officer  lost — only  one  of  the  men 

Moaning  out,  all  alone,  his  death  rattle." 

All  quiet  along  the  Potomac  tonight, 

Where  the  soldiers  lie  peacefully  dreaming; 
Their  tents  in  the  rays  of  the  clear  autumn  moon, 

Or  the  lights  of  the  watch-fires  gleaming. 
A  tremulous  sigh  as  the  gentle  night-wind 

Through  the  forest  leaves  softly  is  creeping; 
While  stars  up  above,  with  their  glittering  eyes 

Keep  guard — for  the  army  is  sleeping. 

There's  only  the  sound  of  the  lone  sentry's  tread, 

As  he  tramps  from  the  rock  to  the  fountain, 
And  thinks  of  the  two  in  the  low  trundle-bed 

Far  away  in  the  cot  on  the  mountain. 
His  musket  falls  slack — his   face   dark   and  grim, 

Grows  gentle  with  memories  tender, 
As  he  mutters  a  prayer  for  the  children  asleep, 

For  their  mother — may  Heaven  defend  her! 

The  moon  seems  to  shine  just  as  brightly  as  then, 

That  night,  when  the  love  yet  unspoken, 
Leaped  up  to  his  lips — when  the  low-murmured  vows 

Were   pledged   to  be   ever   unbroken. 
Then  drawing  his  sleeve  roughly  over  his  eyes, 

He  dashes  off  tears  that  are  welling, 
And  gathers  his  gun  closer  up  to  its  place, 

As  if  to  keep  down  the  heart-swelling. 


58  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

He  passes  the  fountain,  the  blasted  pine  tree — 

The   footstep  is  lagging  and  weary; 
Yet  onward  he  goes,  through  the  broad  belt  of  light, 

Toward  the  shades  of  the  forest  so  dreary. 
Hark!  Was  it  the  night  wind  that  rustled  the  leaves? 

Was  it  moonlight  as  suddenly  flashing? 
It  looked  like  a  rifle    *    *    *    "Ha!  Mary,  good-bye!" 

And  the  life-blood  is  ebbing  and  plashing. 

"All   quiet  along  the  Potomac  tonight; 

No  sound  save  the  rush  of  the  river; 
While  soft  falls  the  dew  on  the  face  of  the  dead — 

The  picket's  off  duty  forever!" 

CHARLES  W.   MacHENRY, 
Sixty-third   Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

NOTE — This  popular  and  pathetic  poem  was  published  anonym 
ously  in  1861,  and  has  since  been  reproduced  and  quoted  repeatedly 
in  newspapers,  magazines  and  periodicals  throughout  the  country 
under  different  titles,  and  ascribed  to  different  authors.  Throughout 
the  North  it  has  been  generally  accredited  to  Ethel  Lynn  Beers,  and 
in  the  South  to  Lamar  Fontaine,  a  private  in  the  Second  Virginia 
Cavalry.  It  is  now,  however,  for  the  first  time,  publicly  claimed  as 
the  inspiration  of  Captain  Charles  W.  MacHenry,  of  Company  G, 
Sixty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  In  a  letter  dated  Los  Angeles, 
California,  November  9,  1907,  J.  A.  Young,  former  adjutant  of  this 
regiment,  writes:  "I  remember  one  thing  that  is  not  generally 
known,  and  that  is  that  the  poem,  "All  Quiet  Along  the  Potomac 
Tonight"  was  written  by  Captain  MacHenry  of  Company  G.  The 
original  was  written  by  him  on  a  fly-leaf  of  the  roster  and  can  be 
found  in  the  regimental  chest  now  stored  in  Washington,  D.  C.  I  did 
not  see  him  write  it,  but  was  assured  by  Adjutant  William  McGrana- 
han  that  he  saw  Captain  MacHenry  write  it,  and  that  he  was  really 
the  author." 

In  a  private  letter  dated  Fort  Madison,  Iowa,  recently  received  from 
Mrs.  Charles  W.  MacHenry,  she  says:  "I  am  proud  to  pay  a  tribute 
to  the  noblest  man  I  ever  knew  (my  husband)  Charles  W.  MacHenry. 
In  regard  to  the  "Picket  Guard,"  Charles  told  me  he  was  the  author. 
Captain  George  B.  Chalmers  has  also  assured  me  of  the  same  truth, 
and  I  used  to  urge  Charles  to  claim  the  authorship,  but  he  would  say, 
"Every  one  of  my  friends  know  I  wrote  it."  While  not  wishing  to 
deprive  any  persons  of  such  credit  as  may  be  properly  due  them,  it  is 
simply  a  matter  of  fact  and  an  honor  due,  even  at  this  late  "day,  to 
accord  to  the  real  author  of  this  immortal  literary  gem  the  credit 
which  is  justly  his.  Many  of  his  comrades  in  arms  who  saw  the 
original  manuscript  of  the  poem  before  it  appeared  in  print,  and  some 
who  actually  saw  him  when  he  composed  it,  are  ready  and  willing  to 
vouch  for  the  fact  that  Captain  MacHenry  and  no  other,  was  the 
inspired  author  of  this  touching  poem.) 

HTHE  morning  of  the  i?th  of  March  dawned  bright  and  beau- 

tiful,  with  just  enough  coolness  in  the  air  to  give  vigor 

and  make  it  a  luxury  to  breathe  the  exhilarating  atmosphere. 


STORY  OF  THE   SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  59 

The  birds  sang  gaily,  and  all  nature  betokened  the  awakening 
of  spring. 

We  were  formed  in  line  on  the  parade  grounds  for  the  last 
time,  and  .casting  a  last  glance  over  the  familiar  old  camp,  when 
Colonel  Hays,  mounted  on  "Dan,"  his  favorite  war  steed,  gave 
the  command,  "Attention,  battalion !  Right  face,  forward ; 
music,  quick  time.  Bully  for  you  ;  march  !"  and  we  filed  out  of 
camp  to  the  stirring  music  of  our  excellent  drum  corps,  and 
Camp  Johnston  became  a  memory  of  the  early  days  of  the 
war.  Nine  hundred  and  eighty-five  commissioned  officers  and 
enlisted  men  left  the  camp.  A  few  over  100  marched  back  past 
the  old  camp  September  3,  1862. 

When  we  reached  the  elevation  above  Hunting  Creek,  near 
where  Fort  Lyon  stood,  and  gazed  down  on  Alexandria,  a  most 
•dazzling  spectacle,  such  as  is  seldom  seen  in  a  lifetime,  was  pre 
sented  to  our  view.  The  entire  plain  and  hillside  were  covered 
with  armed  men  coming  from  every  direction,  and  from  whose 
bayonets  the  sun  was  reflected  in  myriads  of  bright  scintilla 
tions  that  made  them  glitter  like  diamonds.  Column  after 
column  of  infantry  in  blue  came  pouring  toward  a  common 
centre ;  to  the  right  were  great  bodies  of  cavalry  assembling, 
the  sabres  and  equipments  reflecting  the  sunbeams  like  pol 
ished  mirrors.  On  the  left  the  artillery  was  gathering,  their 
brass  cannons  almost  dazzling  the  eye  as  they  threw  back  the 
rays  of  the  sun,  while  the  large,  heavy  guns  with  their  sombre 
look  and  dark  muzzles,  showed  what  death  and  destruction 
they  could  hurl  from  their  black  throats  when  occasion 
required.  Still  further  to  the  left,  a  long  blue  column  of  men, 
flowing  like  a  rapid  river,  came  pouring  in,  from  whose  sur 
faces  bright  gleams  of  light  flashed  as  the  sun  caught  the 
points  of  their  bayonets.  It  was  a  scene  never  to  be  forgotten. 
The  air  was  vocal  with  music,  the  brass  bands  playing  at  the 
heads  of  the  regiments,  while  here  and  there  the  stirring  notes 
of  the  fifes  and  drums  added  to  the  excitement.  It  was  truly 
a  gay  pageant  and  calculated  to  fill  the  soul  with  enthusiasm. 
But  alas !  how  few  realized  at  the  time  that  in  the  space  of  a 
few  months  nearly  half  of  that  grand  army  of  strong,  stalwart 


60  UNDER   THE    RED    PATCH 

men,  now  so  vigorous  and  hopeful,  would  be  strewing  the 
dreary  peninsula  with  their  mangled  bodies  or  breathing  their 
last  in  field  hospitals  amid  the  pestilential  swamps. 

In  the  Potomac  lay  fully  a  thousand  vessels  of  all  kinds, 
each  with  the  Stars  and  Stripes  fluttering  in  the  breeze.  About 
noon  our  regiment  reached  the  wharf  at  Alexandria  and  a  por 
tion  of  it  was  marched  on  board  the  steamer  "North  America." 
The  other  vessels  were  rapidly  filling  up  with  soldiers.  Dur 
ing  the  embarkation  General  McClellan  and  staff  rode  down  to 
the  wharf  and  were  greeted  with  deafening  cheers.  The 
embarkation  continued  until  long  in  the  night,  and  as  soon  as 
our  vessel  had  received  her  quota  of  troops  she  drew  out  into 
the  stream  and  anchored  for  the  night. 

Never  a  fairer  morning  dawned  than  that  of  Tuesday,  March 
18,  1862.  As  the  sun  brightened  the  Eastern  sky,  the  mists 
that  lay  on  the  beautiful  blue  Potomac  rolled  away  and  its 
beams  rested  on  the  hundreds  of  flags  floating  in  the  breeze 
from  the  various  craft  lying  at  anchor  in  front  of  Alexandria, 
causing  one  to  think  of  that  well  known  couplet : 

"Now  it  catches  the  gleam  of  the  morning's  first  beam, 
And  in  glory  reflected  it  shines  on  the  stream." 

Soon  the  bright  rays  rest  on  the  transports  loaded  down 
with  soldiers,  for  the  whole  army  of  the  Potomac,  in  all  its 
pride  and  strength,  is  embarked  on  those  transports  going 
where,  in  a  short  time,  it  will  meet  Death  in  all  his  varied 
forms. 

Soon  the  notes  from  a  band  on  one  of  the  boats  comes 
stealing  across  the  water,  then  another  and  another,  until  the 
air  is  filled  with  the  melody,  and  the  shrill  notes  of  fifes  and 
the  thunder  of  drums  betoken  that  the  army  is  awakening,  and 
the  quiet  of  the  early  dawn  gives  place  to  the  many  varied 
sounds.  After  a  hasty  breakfast  the  boys  crowded  to  the  upper 
decks  to  view  the  scene.  At  10  o'clock  our  steamer  lifted  her 
anchor,  and  turning  her  bow  down  stream,  we  were  off  on  our 
long  journey.  It  was  a  grand  sight  as  steamer  after  steamer, 
loaded  down  to  the  guards  with  soldiers,  pulled  out  from  their 
anchorage  and  joined  the  mighty  procession  down  the  historic 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  61 

Potomac.  The  men,  after  having  been  cooped  up  in  their  little 
uncomfortable  quarters  in  muddy  camps  all  winter,  were  like 
schoolboys  out  for  a  holiday,  and  cheered  and  sang  and 
laughed.  The  bands  kept  up  delightful  music,  the  sun  shone 
out  bright  and  warm,  the  sky  was  a  most  beautiful  blue,  and 
all  nature  seemed  as  bright  as  it  possibly  could  be. 

Soon  we  passed  the  historic  Mount  Vernon,  where  the 
remains  of  the  Father  of  his  Country  repose,  and  it  was  noticed 
that  as  we  passed  by  the  soldiers  became  silent,  the  noisy 
laughter  ceased,  and  a  reverential  silence  seemed  to  settle 
down  upon  all  until  we  had  passed  out  of  sight  of  the  place. 

Near  here,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  lay  General  Sickles 
with  his  command.  They  cheered  us  loudly  as  we  passed,  and 
a  battery  on  the  river  bank  kept  firing  salutes  until  all  the 
vessels  had  gone  by. 

We  soon  passed  Aquia  Creek,  where  the  rebels  had  erected 
some  strong  fortifications  and  during  the  winter  had  kept  a 
strict  blockade  which  was  very  annoying  to  the  people  of 
Washington  and  Alexandria.  When  the  rebel  army  fell  back 
from  Manassas,  the  rebels  set  fire  to  these  fortifications  and 
the  works  were  still  smoking  when  we  passed  them. 

The  Potomac  rapidly  widens  below  Aquia  Creek  and 
becomes  a  noble  stream.  WThen  night  came,  orders  were  given 
to  the  men  to  fill  their  canteens,  as  it  would  be  the  last  chance 
to  obtain  fresh  water  until  we  landed,  for  the  transports  did 
not  carry  any.  Some  of  us  neglected  to  do  this  and  in  the 
morning  went  to  the  forward  deck  of  the  vessel  and  pumping 
a  tinful,  tried  to  take  a  drink.  It  was  a  complete  failure,  and 
we  realized  for  the  first  time  how  nauseating  sea  water  tasted. 

The  shores  on  either  side  were  now  faintly  visible  and  it  was 
not  long  until  we  were  entirely  out  of  sight  of  land  and  real 
ized  that  we  were  afloat  on  the  "boundless  sea." 

Next  morning  was  the  reverse  of  the  preceding  one.  It  was 
dark  and  gloomy  with  a  cold  wind,  which  soon  caused  the 
waves  to  swell,  the  vessel  began  to  pitch  and  toss  at  a  lively 
rate,  and  it  was  not  long  until  we  began  to  feel  a  curious  sen- 


62  UNDER   THE    RED   PATCH 

sation  in  our  stomachs  and,  without  knowing  what  was  the 
matter,  we  were  in  the  throes  of  sea  sickness. 

In  Company  C  was  a  harum-scarum  fellow  called  "Sailor 
Jack,"  from  the  fact  that  he  had  been  a  sailor  for  several  years 
before  he  joined  the  army.  Of  course  he  was  not  afflicted 
with  sea  sickness,  but  took  delight  in  tormenting  his  suffering 
comrades,  advising  them  to  eat  a  chunk  of  nice,  fat  pork.  This 
was  enough,  and  with  bitter  curses  at  him  they  rushed  to  the 
side  of  the  boat  and  continued  to  cast  up  their  accounts  into 
the  sea. 

As  we  passed  farther  down  the  bay  it  grew  rougher.  Dur 
ing  the  afternoon,  in  the  west  and  south  heavy  banks  of  clouds 
were  observed,  slowly  rolling  up  and  soon  the  bright  gleams  of 
lightning  and  the  distant  booming  of  thunder  gave  notice  that 
a  heavy  thunderstorm  would  soon  add  its  terrors  to  the  scene. 

Just  as  the  dusky  shadows  of  night  were  closing  down,  we 
came  in  sight  of  Fortress  Monroe  and  were  indeed  glad  that 
we  should  soon  feel  the  substantial  earth  again  beneath  our 
feet.  We  all  had  enough  of  ocean  travel.  Our  transport  was 
well  in  the  lead  of  the  fleet,  and  we  were  among  the  first  to 
land.  Many  of  the  others  could  not  land  on  account  of  the 
roughness  of  the  sea,  and  were  compelled  to  anchor  some  dis 
tance  from  land,  where  they  tossed  and  rolled  and  strained  at 
their  anchors  in  a  way  that  must  have  been  agonizing  to  those 
on  board. 

After  we  had  landed  and  were  standing  on  the  beach  wait 
ing  for  orders,  a  most  unpitying  storm  of  wind  and  rain, 
accompanied  with  vivid  lightning  and  terrible  thunder,  broke 
over  us.  We  had  no  shelter  of  any  kind,  but  huddled  in 
groups  we  stood  amid  the  fearful  downpour,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  were  soaked  to  the  skin,  the  water  streaming  from  us 
in  torrents.  A  soldier  can  stand  hunger  and  thirst  with  toler 
able  patience ;  he  can  stand  cold  and  weariness  well,  but  there- 
is  nothing  so  trying  or  that  makes  him  so  cross  as  to  have 
to  stand  in  the  rain  without  any  shelter.  All  the  old  soldiers 
can  testify  the  truth  of  this,  and  as  we  huddled  on  the  storm- 
swept  beach  on  that  dreary  March  night,  amid  the  pelting  of 


STORY  OF  THE   SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  63 

that    pitiless    storm,    the    men    grumbled    and    growled    most 
volubly. 

After  cowering  thus  in  the  tempest  for  about  two  hours, 
orders  came  from  the  commanding  officer  of  Fortress  Monroe, 
to  march  the  men  across  the  neck  of  land  toward  Hampton 
and  find  encampment  for  the  night.  So  in  the  darkness,  with 
the  awful  storm  beating  in  our  faces,  and  nothing  to  light  our 
way  but  the  terrible  flashing  of  the  lightning,  wet,  cold  and 
miserable,  we  were  marched  over  a  mile  into  an  open  field 
where,  without  fire,  or  tents,  and  over  ankle  deep  in  water, 
we  were  told  to  shift  for  ourselves  until  morning.  And  there 
on  that  open  moor,  under  the  pelting  of  the  storm,  we  pre 
pared  to  pass  a  most  cheerless  night.  By  this  time  the  men 
were  too  miserable  to  grumble  and  swear,  and  the  gloomy 
silence  settled  down  upon  us  like  a  pall.  As  we  stood  in  our 
drenched  clothes,  we  thought  of  the  warm,  comfortable  homes 
we  had  left  and  contrasted  our  condition  with  that  of  those 
whom  we  had  left  there.  Dreadful  indeed  would  have  been 
our  sufferings  if  we  had  been  compelled  to  remain  there  all 
through  that  dismal  and  storm-swept  night,  but  relief  came 
when  we  had  least  hoped  for  it. 

The  Sixteenth  Massachusetts  Regiment  was  encamped 
about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  the  place  where  we  had 
been  halted.  Some  of  the  men  of  that  regiment  had  been  on 
guard  near  where  we  w^ere,  and  when  they  were  relieved, 
returned  to  camp  and  reported  our  forlorn  condition  to  their 
comrades  and  they,  with  the  Eleventh  Pennsylvania  Cavalry, 
whose  camp  adjoined,  came  promptly  to  our  relief.  They  con 
ducted  us  to  their  camps  where  room  was  made  for  us  in  their 
quarters  and  stables.  Having  gotten  us  under  shelter,  they 
came  with  large  kettles  of  steaming  hot  coffee,  which  was  a 
God-send  to  the  shivering,  drenched  wretches,  and  of  which 
we  all  partook  with  true  thankfulness.  This  action  was  the 
real  sympathy  of  true  soldiers  towards  their  companions  in 
arms.  Without  the  kindness  of  these  men,  great  indeed  would 
have  been  our  sufferings  that  wretched  night,  many  would 
have  been  taken  to  the  rear  or  left  in  the  hospitals  to  suffer 


64  UNDER    THE   RED   PATCH 

and  die.  Indeed,  many  a  poor  fellow  \yhile  exposed  to  the 
storm  that  night,  contracted  the  seeds  of  disease  that  ended 
his  life  before  many  months  had  gone  by.  The  kindness  of 
these  Massachusetts  soldiers  touched  us  deeply  and  we  never 
forgot  it ;  and  to  this  day  not  a  survivor  of  the  old  Sixty-third 
but  has  a  warm  place  in  his  heart  for  the  Sixteenth  Massachu 
setts  and  the  Eleventh  Pennsylvania  Cavalry. 

The  morning  after  our  arrival  at  Fortress  Monroe  dawned 
bright  and  cheerful,  we  were  now  in  a  new  land  and  every 
thing  was  interesting  to  us,  as  we  were  in  a  portion  of  Virginia 
of  deep  historical  interest. 

Our  tents  and  camp  equipage  arrived  from  the  steamer,  and 
we  bade  our  hospitable  friends  good-bye  with  many  hearty 
thanks,  and  moving  out  a  short  distance,  pitched  our  tents 
on  the  border  of  a  wide  plain  near  an  inlet  of  the  bay. 

The  boys  soon  discovered  that  the  marshy  coast  was  full  of 
clams,  and  in  a  short  time  everybody  was  busy  digging  the 
bivalves  from  their  native  mud  and  roasting  great  quantities 
in  huge  fires  built  along  the  shore. 

We  remained  in  this  camp  five  days.  We  had  reached  Fort 
ress  Monroe  a  few  days  after  the  famous  fight  between  the 
ironclads  Merrimac  and  Monitor,  and  all  the  soldiers  were  full 
of  talk  about  it  and  everyone  had  his  own  way  of  describ 
ing  it. 

It  was  a  gay  scene  that  greeted  our  eyes  the  morning 
after  our  arrival.  The  storm  had  spent  its  force,  and  the  sun 
shone  with  unusual  brilliancy ;  hundreds  of  vessels  were  lying 
in  the  bay  at  anchor,  while  numberless  small  boats  were  dart 
ing  here  and  there  from  vessel  to  vessel  and  between  the  ves 
sels  and  the  shore,  making  an  ever-changing  picture  that,  to 
the  eyes  of  those  not  used  to  such  scenes,  was  wonderful. 
While  we  lay  here  the  rest  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac  dis 
embarked  and  the  stores,  horses  and  artillery  were  unloaded. 

The  weather  was  truly  delightful,  and  whenever  we  could 
get  away  from  our  regular  duties,  we  spent  the  time  strolling 
along  the  beach  picking  up  small  shells  and  curiously  colored 
pebbles. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  65 

On  Monday  morning,  March  24th,  orders  were  given  to 
strike  tents  and  march.  We  hastily  packed  up  our  belongings, 
and  in  a  short  time  our  entire  division,  then  under  command 
of  General  Hamilton,  took  up  the  line  of  march.  We  passed 
through  the  town  of  Hampton,  and  advancing  a  short  distance 
beyond,  went  into  camp  on  a  large  level  tract  of  land  known  as 
"Hampton  Plain." 

The  town  of  "Old  Hampton"  deserves  a  passing  notice.  It 
lay  two  miles  from  the  fort,  and  when  we  passed  through  it 
was  in  ruins.  Every  house  had  been  destroyed,  and  nothing 
remained  but  the  naked  walls  of  what  had  at  one  time  been 
the  seat  of  wealth  and  fashion,  as  many  of  the  first  families 
of  Virginia  resided  here  and  it  was  rich  in  historic  legends. 

At  the  time  Hampton  was  burned,  General  Ben  Butler  was 
in  command  of  Fortress  Monroe  and,  as  the  Union  lines  were 
extended,  most  of  the  inhabitants  of  Hampton  fled  to  Rich 
mond.  After  the  battle  of  Great  Bethel,  Butler  withdrew  the 
men  from  beyond  the  creek.  To  prevent  the  Union  men  from 
using  the  town  as  winter  quarters,  General  Magruder  sent  100 
men  from  Yorktown  to  destroy  the  place.  They  came  quietly 
to  Hampton  in  the  evening  and  shortly  after  the  cry  of  "fire" 
was  ringing  on  every  side.  Every  house,  church  and  building 
were  vomiting  forth  flames,  and  a  cowering,  shivering  and 
weeping  throng  of  old  men,  women  and  children,  were  gath 
ered  on  the  plain,  not  knowing  what  to  do  or  where  to  go.  All 
their  household  goods  were  destroyed,  and  thus  in  an  hour 
were  scattered  the  families  of  the  beautiful  town,  which  was 
now  a  smoking  heap  of  ruins. 

We  were  now  encamped  in  a  beautiful  place,  the  ground  for 
miles  around  was  level  as  a  floor.  The  weather  continued  fine, 
and  every  day  there  were  brigade  drills  and  sometimes  the 
entire  division  was  put  through  many  evolutions.  The  boys 
were  well  pleased  with  the  place  and  wrote  some  glowing 
letters  home. 

Of  the  correspondents  among  the  soldiers  there  were  two 
classes,  which  may  be  called  the  optimists  and  the  pessimists. 
The  first  class  would  write  most  encouraging  letter  home  to 


66  UNDER   THE    RED    PATCH 

their  families,  telling  them  only  of  the  bright  side  of  a  soldier's 
life,  saying  nothing  of  the  privations  or  hardships,  and  would 
thus  cheer  and  encourage  their  wives  and  parents.  The  second 
class  would  write  most  doleful  Jeremiads,  whining  and  com 
plaining  of  the  bitterness  of  their  lot,  exaggerating  every 
trifling  trouble,  and  giving  a  most  doleful  picture  of  the  sor 
rows  of  a  soldier's  life,  making  babyish  complaints  about  their 
sufferings  and  hardships,  until  their  poor  wives  were  almost 
distracted.  There  was  a  young  man  known  as  Polk  McCul- 
lough,  of  Company  A,  who  was  raised  by  his  uncle,  Captain 
James  McCullough,  of  near  Monroeville.  He  was  only  a  boy 
when  he  enlisted  and.  was  strongly  advised  not  to  join  as 
we  did  not  think  he  could  stand  the  privations  of  a  soldier's 
life,  but  we  were  never  more  mistaken  as  Polk  served  out  his 
three  years'  enlistment  and  then  re-enlisted  and  served  until 
the  surrender  at  Appomattox.  He  never  missed  a  battle  or  a 
day's  service,  but  once,  when  he  was  sick  for  a  short  time,  and 
was  as  brave  a  boy  as  ever  wore  the  blue  of  a  soldier.  Always 
cheerful  and  jolly,  he  was  the  life  of  the  company.  Colonel 
Hays  thought  a  great  deal  of  him  and  nicknamed  him  "Old 
Barefoot,"  from  the  fact  that  in  the  summertime,  when  Polkas 
shoes  gave  out,  he  would  not  draw  a  new  pair  but  would  run 
barefooted  until  the  officers  would  compel  him  to  put  on  foot 
wear.  Once,  when  he  was  detailed  for  guard  duty  on  the  fol 
lowing  day,  Polk  was,  as  usual,  shoeless,  and  had  he  told  the 
sergeant  he  would  have  been  excused.  Now,  when  a  soldier 
was  detailed  for  guard  duty,  he  was  expected  to  brush  up, 
brighten  his  accoutrements,  have  his  gun  thoroughly  clean 
and  his  shoes  blacked.  When  the  detail  got  ready  in  the 
morning,  Polk  cleaned  himself  up  properly  and  then  taking 
the  blacking  and  brush,  rolled  up  his  trousers  nearly  to  his 
knees,  and  then  blacked  and  polished  his  feet  and  legs  until 
they  shone.  When  the  detail  went  over  on  the  guard  line  to 
be  inspected,  many  of  us  went  along  to  see  how  Polk  would 
fare.  The  officer  of  the  guard  was  a  peppery  little  German,  as 
consequential  as  a  bantam  rooster.  When  he  came  down  the 
line  of  guards  inspecting  them,  he  stopped  at  Polk  and  gazed 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  67 

on  him  in  astonishment.  Polk  stood  gazing  out  before  him 
without  the  motion  of  a  muscle.  After  looking  at  him  for  a 
short  time,  the  officer  blurted  out : 

"Vat  you  doing  here?" 

"Serving  my  country,"  answered  Polk  solemnly. 

"Vere  is  your  shoes?" 

"Haven't  got  any,"  said  Polk. 

"Veil,  you  gets  to  your  quarters,  and  after  de  guart  mount 
I'll  'tend  to  you." 

Polk  threw  his  gun  on  his  shoulder  and,  as  he  turned  care 
lessly  on  his  heel,  remarked  in  his  peculiar  drawl : 

"Well,  I  suppose  a  man  will  have  to  wear  kid  gloves  in  this 
regiment  to  kill  rebels,  according  to  the  tactics." 

The  officer  hurried  down  to  the  Colonel's  quarters  and 
reported  Polk  for  insubordination.  The  Colonel  heard  him 
attentively  and  answered : 

"Well,  that's  Old  Barefoot;  let  him  alone,  he  is  too  good  a 
soldier  to  punish  just  because  he  wants  to  go  barefooted." 

Polk  had  a  chum,  John  Haymaker,  and  they  made  a  team, 
two  regular  dare-devils  that  feared  nothing  and  would  venture 
on  all  kinds  of  dangerous  exploits. 

These  were  merry  days  while  we  lay  encamped  on  the  plains 
of  Hampton.  In  fact  they  were  the  gala  days  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac.  After  being  cooped  up  all  through  the  winter  in 
the  miserable,  muddy  camps,  amid  the  bleak  and  dreary  hills 
of  that  portion  of  Virginia  where  everything  was  desolate  and 
uninviting,  we  appeared  to  have  been  suddenly  transported  to 
a  most  beautiful  country  in  the  glowing  springtime,  where 
the  fields  were  in  brilliant  green,  where  the  sun  was  bright 
and  warm,  and  all  nature  seemed  to  rejoice.  The  soldiers 
resembled  a  lot  of  emancipated  schoolboys  out  for  a  holiday, 
more  than  men  whose  business  was  to  kill,  or  be  killed. 

The  skirmish  drill  was  always  an  interesting  sight  and  on 
these  level  grounds  there  was  plenty  of  room  to  indulge  in  it, 
and  our  regiment  became  expert,  and  the  boys  were  proud  of 
it.  Our  regiment  was  armed  with  the  Spencer  repeating  rifles 
in  1864.  How  pleased  the  boys  were  to  exchange  the  old 


68  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

Austrian  muzzle  loaders  for  the  repeating  Spencer,  but  in  a 
short  time  they  discovered  that  with  these  new  repeating 
rifles  had  come  something  else  not  bargained  for,  as  at  every 
engagement  came  the  order,  "Spencers  to  the  front!"  and  they 
found  that  their  place  was  on  the  skirmish  line  much  more 
often  than  was  agreeable. 

In  every  direction  the  roads  were  crowded  with  troops 
marching  to  their  encampments,  thousands  of  flags  fluttering 
in  the  breeze,  the  air  filled  with  martial  music.  It  was  a  scene 
calculated  to  call  forth  all  the  enthusiasm  in  one's  veins  and  to 
make  the  veriest  coward  feel  brave.  There  were  over  six 
thousand  wagons  and  ambulances  connected  with  the  army, 
and  the  number  of  horses  and  mules  were  estimated  at  forty- 
five  thousand. 

The  army  mule  deserves  a  passing  notice.  Mules  are  pecul 
iar  creatures,  and  there  is  something  ludicrous  about  them. 
The  army  mule  has  the  most  solemn  countenance  and  con 
tains  more  cussedness  to  the  square  inch  than  any  other  living 
creature.  In  civil  life  the  mule  is  easily  managed,  but  as  soon 
as  he  belongs  to  the  army  his  character  changes  and  his  whole 
being  seems  given  over  to  depravity  and  general  devilish- 
ness. 

It  was  as  good  as  a  circus  to  see  a  teamster  hitch  up  his 
mubs  in  the  morning,  and  everybody  enjoyed  the  sight  save 
the  teamster,  especially  when  the  mules  made  up  their  minds 
not  to  be  hitched,  and  men  who  never  swore  before  would 
give  way  to  the  wildest  profanity,  and  it  was  a  common  sight 
to  see  a  teamster  limp  away  rubbing  himself  on  account  of  a 
severe  kick  from  a  mule,  and  at  the  same  time  hurling  back 
terrible  curses  at  the  offender.  One  of  our  teamsters,  Jim 
McManus,  used  to  solemnly  declare  that  he  had  a  mule  who 
could  kick  him  while  he  was  tying  the  hamestring. 

Often,  after  a  long  day's  march,  when  tired  and  sleepy,  we 
threw  ourselves  on  the  ground  to  catch  a  few  hours  of  needed 
sleep,  as  if  by  a  preconcerted  arrangement  all  the  mules  in  the 
division  would  decide  to  hold  a  concert  for  the  benefit  of  the 
soldiers,  and  that  would  end  the  sleep  for  that  night.  One  loud 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  69 

voiced  chap  would  start  in  with  a  baritone  solo  which  would 
soon  be  a  duet,  then  a  trio,  would  become  a  quartet,  and  again 
would  become  a  grand  chorus  which  would  send  the  men  into 
paroxysms  of  profanity.  Sometimes  an  angry  soldier  would 
seize  a  club  and  rush  up  to  where  a  number  were  carrying  on 
a  full  mule  opera,  and  belabor  them,  but  a  few  vigorous 
applications  of  their  heels  soon  convinced  him  that  he  was 
simply  an  intruder  in  a  family  amusement,  and  he  would  retire 
limping,  while  they  would  burst  forth  in  a  louder  and  grander 
song  of  triumph  than  ever.  They  had  a  hard  life  of  it,  poorly 
fed,  and  almost  worked  to  death,  but  they  often  had  their 
revenge.  Sometimes  a  number  of  them  would  get  loose  during 
the  night,  and  then  there  was  fun  for  the  mules.  Over  the 
tents  they  would  rush,  getting  entangled  in  the  tent  ropes,  and 
then  kick  everything  to  pieces  until  they  got  clear  again  and 
arousing  the  entire  division.  Speaking  of  mules,  W.  H.  Mor 
row,  of  Company  A,  tells  the  following: 

"I  want  to  tell  of  the  greatest  scare  I  got  during  my  whole 
course  of  soldier  life.  I  was  often  scared  while  in  the  army,  in 
fact  I  never  went  into  a  fight  that  I  was  not  scared,  but  this 
particular  scare  was  one  of  the  meanest  and  one  of  the  most 
humiliating  kind,  and  was  caused  by  a  mule.  It  was  in  July, 
1862,  just  after  we  had  reached  Harrison's  Landing,  on  the 
James  River.  Our  army  had  just  finished  the  terrible  seven 
days'  battles  and  had  emerged  bruised  and  battered  from  the 
dismal  swamps  where  we  had  fought  every  day  and  retreated 
each  night.  We  had  lost  our  blankets,  shelter  tents,  and  in 
fact  all  our  camp  equipage,  and  our  nerves  were  strung  up  to 
their  highest  tension.  A  couple  of  days  after  \ve  arrived  it 
commenced  to  rain.  In  the  evening  I  was  seeking  some  kind 
of  shelter  when  I  saw  a  teamster  drive  into  the  upper  end  of 
camp  and  unhitch  his  mules.  It  was  forbidden  to  sleep  in  any 
of  the  wagons,  so  I  kept  out  of  sight  until  the  driver,  after 
tying  his  mules  to  the  front  part  of  the  \vagon,  went  down  to 
camp.  Now  was  my  chance,  so  crawling  into  the  rear  I  crept 
forward  and  lay  down  with  my  head  close  up  to  the  forward 
end.  As  I  lay  and  listened  to  the  rain  pattering  on  the  canvas 


70  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

covering,  such  a  delightful  sense  of  comfort  stole  over  me  as 
I  have  very  seldom  experienced,  and  I  was  soon  sleeping  pro 
foundly.  Some  time  during  the  night  one  of  the  mules  thrust 
his  head  in  under  the  cover  and  his  mouth  could  not  have  been 
more  than  six  inches  from  my  face  when  \LQ  began  to  bray 
in  a  most  unearthly  manner.  How  I  got  out  of  that  wagon  I 
never  knew,  but  I  do  know  that  I  was  at  least  twenty  feet 
behind  it  when  I  awoke  running.  I  often  made  good  time 
when  on  the  retreat  with  the  yelling  rebels  coming  on  behind, 
but  my  running  this  time  was  the  best  I  ever  performed.  I 
cast  hurried  glances  from  side  to  side  and  over  my  shoulder 
to  see  if  the  thing  was  after  me,  but  when  I  noticed  that  camp 
was  still  and  quiet  and  I  appeared  to  be  the  only  scared  thing 
in  it,  I  began  to  check  up  and  at  last  stood  still  and  gazed 
around.  Just  then  another  mule,  in  another  part  of  the  camp, 
began  a  song,  and  the  truth  struck  me.  I  sneaked  quietly 
back  and  crept  into  the  wagon  again,  but  my  fright  had  ban 
ished  all  desire  to  sleep  any  more  that  night.  I  kept  very 
quiet  about  it,  as  I  knew  if  the  boys  got  hold  of  the  story  I 
would  never  hear  the  last  of  it." 

While  there  were  some  noble,  humane  and  self-sacrificing 
physicians  in  the  army,  who  were  an  ornament  to  the  class 
and  a  God-send  to  the  poor,  broken  down,  fever-stricken  or 
wounded  soldiers,  unfortunately  they  formed  a  minority  to  the 
unskilled  quacks  wrhose  ignorance  and  brutality  made  them 
objects  of  detestation  to  the  soldier.  Many  of  these  fellows, 
if  compelled  to  depend  upon  their  profession  in  civil  life,  would 
have  starved,  but  having,  through  the  influence  of  political 
friends,  been  appointed  army  surgeons,  as  soon  as  they  donned 
the  soldier  straps,  blossomed  out  into  miserable  tyrants. 
Brutal,  as  well  as  ignorant  and  careless  of  the  poor  soldiers 
placed  in  their  care,  they  helped  to  fill  many  graves  where 
our  army  marched. 

Once,  while  our  regiment  lay  near  Alexandria,  one  of  the 
cooks  of  Company  D  was  severely  scalded  one  night  while 
cooking  rations  for  the  company  to  go  on  picket  the  next  day, 
by  upsetting  a  kettle  of  boiling  water  over  his  legs.  He  was 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  71 

carried  into  his  tent  and  someone  ran  to  the  doctor's  quarters 
and  asked  him  to  come  and  dress  the  man's  injuries.  It  was 
a  cold,  disagreeable  night  and  the  doctor  was  comfortable  in 
bed  and  refused  to  get  up,  giving  this  heartless  answer : 

"He  won't  die  before  morning  and  I'm  not  going  to  get  out 
in  the  cold  night  for  any  d — d  soldier  in  the  army." 

But  he  did,  oh  yes,  Colonel  Hays  was  told  of  the  matter, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  a  file  of  men  marched  the  doctor  to  where 
the  injured  man  was,  and  after  his  hurts  were  dressed,  the 
Colonel  gave  that  doctor  such  a  lecture  as  he  would  likely 
never  forget,  and  then  put  him  under  arrest  for  a  week. 

Colonel  Hays,  though  one  of  the  strictest  disciplinarians  in 
the  army,  had  a  heart  as  tender  as  a  woman's,  and  would  not 
permit  any  wrong  or  injury  to  be  perpetrated  on  the  poorest 
soldier  in  the  regiment. 

After  awhile,  when  a  large  number  of  these  would-be  doc 
tors  had  been  kicked  out  of  the  army,  the  service  improved. 

Our  first  surgeon  was  Dr.  John  Crawford,  of  Kittanning, 
who  was  one  of  God's  noblemen.  A  skillful  physician,  a  true 
gentleman  and  a  genuine  Christian,  all  the  soldiers  loved  him. 
Soon  after  joining  us  he  was  promoted  to  brigade  surgeon  and 
died  during  the  penisula  campaign.  His  death  was  a  heavy 
blow  to  the  service.  We  had  a  number  of  other  doctors,  some 
good,  some  middling,  and  some  worthless. 

On  Thursday,  April.  3rd,  we  were  ordered  to  get  ready  to 
march  and  we  now  knew  it  was  "on  to  Richmond."  The  next 
morning  we  left  the  beautiful  camp  at  Hampton,  and  to  the 
merry  tones  of  fife  and  drum,  stepped  out  gaily  from  one  of  the 
most  pleasant  camping  ground  we  had  yet  occupied. 

The  morning  was  beautiful,  the  sun  shone  with  splendor 
and  nature  had  put  on  one  of  her  gayest  moods,  but  these 
moods  were  very  uncertain ;  one  day  it  would  be  most  delight 
ful  weather  and  in  a  few  hours  it  might  be  storming  and  rain 
ing  furiously.  We  took  the  road  toward  Yorktown,  and  about 
noon  passed  Big  Bethel,  some  ten  miles  from  Fortress  Monroe, 
where  a  disastrous  fight  had  taken  place  on  the  loth  of  June, 
1861,  between  a  body  of  rebels  and  a  body  of  Union  troops 


72  UNDER   THE    RED    PATCH 

under  command  of  General  Pierce,  of  Massachusetts,  in  which 
the  Union  men  were  defeated  and  the  gallant  Major  Winthrop 
was  killed.  To  make  the  disaster  worse,  our  men  had  fired 
into  each  other  by  mistake. 

The  rebels  had  encampments  at  Little  Bethel,  but  withdrew 
as  we  approached,  and  joined  the  main  force  at  Yorktown.  A 
number  of  brush  shanties  marked  the  place  where  they  had 
encamped. 

Passing  Big  Bethel,  we  proceeded  about  four  miles  further 
and  encamped  for  the  night.  After  crossing  Big  Bethel  Creek, 
the  aspect  of  the  country  changed,  it  became  broken  and  hilly, 
the  hills  being  mostly  covered  with  scraggy  pines  and  cedars, 
and  the  land  appeared  very  poor.  It  had  become  impoverished 
from  the  raising  of  continuous  crops  of  tobacco  until  almost 
worthless.  As  soon  as  these  worn-out  tobacco  lands  are 
allowed  to  lie  vacant,  they  begin  to  send  out  a  growth  of  pines 
as  though  nature  was  making  an  effort  to  restore  the  fertility 
that  man  has  destroyed.  It  was  a  common  sight  to  see  a 
dense  growth  of  pine  on  one  side  of  the  road  and  a  forest  of 
oak,  maple  and  chestnut  trees  on  the  other,  and  not  a  pine 
among  them. 

Along  the  small  streams  and  creeks,  the  ground  abounded 
in  swamps,  which  extended  quite  a  distance  on  either  side, 
houses  were  few  and  far  between,  and  it  was  a  dreary,  desolate 
looking  country  and  bore  all  the  ear-marks  of  the  curse  of 
slavery. 

We  encamped  on  a  plantation  owned  by  a  man  named 
Russell.  It  was  a  beautiful  place,  a  gem  in  the  wilderness,  the 
house  was  a  typical  southern  mansion,  large,  roomy,  and  with 
a  wide  veranda  extending  clear  around  it,  beautiful  ornamental 
trees  and  shrubbery  encircled  it,  with  hundreds  of  beautiful 
rose  bushes  in  the  large  yards.  The  owner  was  an  out-and-out 
old  Virginia  aristocrat,  a  regular  F.  F.  V.,  and  if  looks  could 
have  destroyed  an  army,  we  would  all  have  been  swept  away. 
He  was  very  indignant  that  Northern  "mudsills"  should  dare 
to  encamp  on  his  premises,  but  when  the  boys  began  to  burn 
his  fences  for  fuel  to  cook  their  suppers,  his  fury  became  too 


COLONEL 
/ILL1AM.S.K1RKWOOI 


COLONEL 

,A.S.M.  MORGAN/ 


GENERAL 
PHILIP  KEARNEY 


COLONEL 

OHNADANKSj 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  73 

great  for  utterance  and  he  retired  into  the  house  and  did  not 
show  himself  again  while  we  remained.  He  owned  a  large 
number  of  slaves,  among  whom  were  a  number  of  most  beauti 
ful  octoroon  girls,  which  recalls  a  funny  incident : 

Ben  Butterfield  was  a  member  of  Company  B,  as  was  also 
a  good  humored  Dutchman  named  Springer.  Ben  had  been 
down  about  the  Russell  place  and  when  he  came  back  to  the 
company,  said  he  had  seen  "quite  a  number  of  Creoles"  (mean 
ing  octoroons).  When  Springer  heard  it  he  shouldered  his 
gun  and  started  for  the  place.  After  awhile  he  returned  and 
said: 

"Ben,  I  vas  all  arount  dare  und  I  didn't  see  a  plame  one  of 
dem  owls." 

"What  owls?"  enquired  Ben. 

"Vy,  dem  cree  owls,  vat  you  said  you  seen  down  dare." 

He  thought  when  Ben  said  he  had  seen  Creoles  he  meant 
some  kind  of  birds,  and  had  gone  out  to  shoot  some  of  them. 

Near  the  road  where  the  head  of  our  regiment  lay,  stood  a 
small  cabin,  the  dwelling  of  some  of  those  unfortunates  known 
in  the  South  as  poor  whites,  who  are  considered  by  the  wealthy 
planters  as  lower  than  the  negroes — in  fact  the  slaves  regarded 
them  with  contempt,  calling  them  "white  trash."  Their  condi 
tion  was  truly  worse  than  the  slaves,  for  they  often  suffered 
for  the  necessaries  of  life  while  the  slave  was  sure  of  his  living. 
These  men  were  poor,  shiftless,  lazy  creatures,  who  depended 
upon  what  odd  jobs  they  could  get,  while  the  women  were 
generally  slattern  and  careless  creatures,  inveterate  users  of 
tobacco,  mostly  in  the  form  of  snuff,  and  could  bite  a  chew 
off  a  plug  and  masticate  it  with  the  skill  of  a  veteran.  While 
we  were  at  Accotink,  a  very  pretty  girl,  but  dressed  very 
slatternly,  came  out  on  the  porch  and  said : 

"Say,  mister,  have  you  any  tobacco?" 

We  happened  to  be  in  luck  just  then  and  handed  her  a  plug. 
She  bit  off  a  generous  chunk  and  handing  back  the  remainder, 
went  into  the  house  without  another  word. 

The  husband  of  the  woman  who  lived  in  this  cabin,  was  in 
the  rebel  army,  and  when  the  poor  creature  saw  our  army 


74  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

going  to  where  he  was  serving,  she  wept  bitterly.  Among  the 
many  painful  scenes  witnessed  during  the  war  none  comes 
back  with  more  vividness  than  that  pale,  hollow-eyed  woman 
surrounded  by  her  band  of  little  ragged,  white-headed  children 
holding  to  her  skirts,  as  she  stood  in  her  door  weeping  as  she 
thought  of  the  danger  of  her  husband  in  the  coming  struggle, 
and  we  often  wondered  if  he  lived  to  return  to  that  frightened 
little  flock  again,  or  if  his  bones  are  rotting  on  some  of  those 
dreadful  battlefields  of  Virginia. 

Some  of  our  men  talked  to  her  and  heard  her  say  that  her 
husband  was  opposed  to  the  war  and  did  not  want  to  go,  but 
had  been  forced  into  the  service.  She  was  miserably  poor,  and 
to  the  honor  of  our  boys,  they  treated  her  with  much  respect 
and  kindness  and  divided  their  rations  with  her  and  her  little 
ones,  giving  her  coffee,  sugar,  crackers  and  meat,  until  she 
had  received  quite  a  supply  of  provisions,  enough  to  last  many 
days.  She  could  not  understand  why  the  men  who  were  on 
their  way  to  kill  her  husband,  should  be  so  kind  to  her,  and 
as  she  murmured  her  thanks  she  said : 

"You  uns  are  mighty  curious  people." 

We  camped  on  the  Russell  farm  during  the  night  and  lay 
beside  the  road  leading  to  Yorktown.  Shortly  after  dark  one 
of  those  drizzling,  continuous  rains,  so  frequent  in  that  section 
of  the  country,  set  in  and  continued  all  night.  The  weather 
became  quite  chilly,  but  we  had  plenty  of  fuel  for  our  camp 
fires  in  the  shape  of  fence  rails  belonging  to  the  old  rebel  Rus 
sell's  farm,  and  the  boys  did  not  spare  them.  Early  in  the 
morning  the  bugle  called  the  tired  and  hungry  men  to  their 
feet  and  they  straggled  out,  and  oh,  how  cross  and  ill-natured 
they  were,  ready  to  fight  with  their  shadows,  yet  eager  for 
their  scanty  breakfast  of  hard  tack  and  coffee.  A  number  of 
the  boys  of  Company  A  had  two  rails  parallel  with  each  other, 
and  filling  the  place  between  with  sprigs  and  splinters,  placed 
their  tin  cups  over  the  fire  kindled  there.  Just  as  the  coffee 
began  to  boil,  Polk  McCullough  came  along  and  either  through 
accident  or  from  mischief,  hit  one  of  the  rails  a  kick,  and  over 
went  all  the  coffee  into  the  fire.  Then  there  was  trouble,  and 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD   REGIMENT  75 

the  profanity  was  picturesque.  Polk  took  to  his  heels,  and 
well  for  him  that  he  did  or  the  angry  boys  would  have  nearly 
killed  him.  About  9  o'clock  we  fell  into  line  and  took  up  the 
march.  It  continued  drizzling  all  day  and  the  ground  was 
soaked,  which  rendered  marching  very  heavy  and  unpleasant. 
The  country  through  which  we  were  passing  was  very  poor 
and  desolate  looking,  and  appeared  to  be  unfavorable  for  farm 
ing.  About  4  o'clock  we  ascended  a  long  hill,  having  heard 
cannonading  for  some  time  before  reaching  the  top,  and  sup 
posed  that  a  battle  was  in  progress,  consequently  we  hurried 
on  as  fast  as  possible,  soon  reaching  the  summit,  and  there, 
before  us,  lay  Yorktown.  The  firing  was  from  some  batteries 
that  had  gained  the  foot  of  the  hill  and  were  throwing  shells 
into  the  rebel  breastworks  at  Yorktown.  The  rebels  answered 
promptly,  and  sent  their  compliments  over  in  the  shape  of 
solid  shot  and  shell.  Our  brigade  marched  down  the  hill  and 
took  position  in  a  bleak  field  behind  a  woods  where  we  were 
separated  a  short  distance  from  the  enemy.  The  artillery 
stopped  their  firing,  but  every  now  and  then  the  Johnnies  would 
throw  a  shell  into  our  lines  which  would  cause  a  scamper 
among  the  boys.  We  were  face  to  face  with  the  enemy  and 
expected  to  engage  in  a  furious  struggle  in  the  morning. 

As  the  shades  of  night  settled  down  upon  our  army  as  it  lay 
encamped  before  Yorktown  on  that  memorable  Saturday, 
April  5,  1862,  there  wrere  evidences  that  the  men  felt  the 
solemnity  of  the  occasion.  For  the  first  time  since  we  had 
become  soldiers  were  we  brought,  as  it  were,  face  to  face  writh 
the  enemy,  and  all  felt  sure  that  on  the  morrow  a  desperate 
battle  would  take  place  between  the  Union  and  rebel  armies 
and  all  knew  that  the  conflict  would  be  a  bloody  one,  and  when 
at  dark  Dr.  Crawford,  our  brigade  surgeon,  rode  into  camp 
and  asked  Colonel  Hays  to  send  the  brass  band  to  hospital 
quarters  to  act  as  stretcher  carriers  for  bringing  in  the 
wounded,  it  did  not  tend  to  raise  the  spirits  of  the  men.  It 
was  also  noticed  that  the  boys  did  not  indulge  in  the  usual 
sky-larking  and  funny  antics  that  they  generally  did  every 
evening  in  camp  during  pleasant  weather,  but  were  disposed 


76  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

to  gather  in  groups  and  discuss  the  probabilities  of  the  fight 
next  day.  There  were  no  cowardly  feelings  exhibited,  but 
this  would  be  our  first  battle  and  it  caused  a  solemn  feeling 
which  was  not  real  fear. 

On  our  left  lay  a  dense  woods  beyond  which  were  strong 
entrenchments  of  rebels ;  on  our  right  another  heavy  tract  of 
timberland  full  of  swamps  and  ponds ;  on  our  front,  beyond  a 
rise  of  ground,  lay  Yorktown  within  three  lines  of  strong 
fortifications.  Those  good  people  who  remained  at  home  to 
criticise  the  manner  in  which  the  war  was  conducted,  have 
repeatedly  declared  that  the  great  mistake  of  the  war  was  that 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  did  not  at  once  storm  the  rebel 
works  at  Yorktown,  which  they  could  have  easily  taken. 

Well,  we  might  have  taken  them,  but  it  would  have  been  at 
a  terrible  loss  of  life,  anyone  seeing  the  formidable  earthworks 
would  realize  this. 

The  rebels  evidently  expected  an  attack  in  the  morning  and 
were  on  the  "qui  vive."  All  through  the  night  at  regular  inter 
vals  some  of  their  heavy  guns  would  send  a  ponderous  shell 
or  solid  round  shot  into  our  camps  to  inform  us  that  they  were 
on  the  alert,  which  greatly  interfered  with  the  slumbers  of  the 
boys.  But  the  long  night  passed  at  last  and  the  morning  was 
beautiful,  a  typical  spring  Sabbath.  Almost  the  first  object 
that  met  our  gaze  was  the  huge  war  balloon  of  Professor 
Lowe  that  accompanied  the  army,  at  a  considerable  height, 
and  glistened  in  the  rays  of  the  rising  sun  like  a  ball  of  silver 
suspended  in  the  air. 

The  camp  fires  were  lighted  and  breakfast  was  hurriedly 
cooked  and  eaten,  but  no  preparations  for  battle  were  visible, 
and  it  would  seem  apparent  that  there  would  be  no  fight  that 
day. 

We  lay  in  front  of  Yorktown  for  thirty  days,  and  of  this 
number  it  stormed  and  rained  twenty,  and  all  this  time  the 
boys  worked  incessantly  digging  rifle  pits  and  casting  up 
entrenchments. 

A  short  distance  in  front  of  our  regiment  there  was  an  open 
place  through  the  woods  to  the  left,  where  we  had  a  view  of 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  77 

a  rebel  fort  on  the  hill  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  away.  The 
boys  began  to  gather  at  this  place  to  look  at  the  fort  when, 
without  any  warning,  a  shell  from  the  Johnnies  came  crashing 
into  the  midst  of  them,  causing  a  sudden  stampede.  It  is  need 
less  to  say  that  we  lost  all  interest  in  this  rebel  fortification 
for  the  time  being. 

Half  a  mile  from  where  our  regiment  first  encamped,  and 
near  to  where  some  heavy  earthworks  were  being  made,  was 
the  spot  where  tradition  said  that  Lord  Cornwallis  surrendered 
to  General  Washington  on  October  19,  1781.  A  large  flat  rock 
marked  the  place  of  surrender,  and  some  of  the  old  lines  of 
entrenchment  were  yet  visible.  Standing  at  this  historic  spot, 
one  was  led  to  reflect  on  what  strange  things  occur  in  history. 
Here  were  two  armies  composed  of  men  whose  forefathers 
had  stood  at  this  same  spot  and  felt  their  pulses  thrill  with  joy 
as  they  beheld  the  enemy  march  out  of  their  intrenchments 
and  lay  down  their  arms  in  token  of  surrender,  and  could  feel 
that  they  were  a  free  people,  united  in  the  bonds  that  had  been 
purchased  with  privation,  suffering  and  blood,  and  now  here 
were  assembled  their  descendants,  members  of  the  same  fam 
ily,  with  the  same  common  interests,  arrayed  against  each 
other  in  a  deadly  strife.  Truly  it  was  an  unnatural  war. 

The  first  Sunday  evening  before  Yorktown  Colonel  Hays 
held  dress  parade,  and  as  the  enemy  was  in  hearing  distance, 
he  ordered  the  band  to  play  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner,"  and 
"Yankee  Doodle,"  in  order  to  annoy  them  and  ruffle  up  their 
feelings.  He  succeeded  beyond  his  expectations,  for  by  the 
time  the  parade  was  dismissed  the  Johnnies  sent  us  their  com 
pliments  in  the  shape  of  some  shells  that  stopped  any  more 
dress  parade  or  playing  exasperating  tunes  while  we  lay  in 
that  camp. 

It  was  found  that  our  camp  was  too  close  to  the  rebel  lines 
for  comfort,  as  they  had  a  habit  of  dropping  their  shells 
amongst  us  without  any  notification;  so  in  a  few  days  we 
moved  further  to  the  right  and  encamped  in  a  dense,  swampy 
woods,  a  most  uncomfortable  and  undesirable  position.  Here 
we  made  our  first  acquaintance  with  that  pest  peculiar  to  the 


78  UNDER   THE    RED    PATCH 

timberlands  of  the  south,  the  Virginia  wood-tick,  a  miserable 
vermin  that  caused  much  profanity  among  the  boys.  They 
were  about  the  size  of  a  bed  bug  and  bore  a  striking  resem 
blance  to  that  pest.  They  quietly  secured  a  permanent  abiding 
place  on  one's  person  and  at  once  proceeded  to  bleed  him. 
They  would  penetrate  some  distance  into  his  flesh  and  remain 
there,  gorging  themselves  until  they  became  distended  with 
blood,  but  unlike  a  leech,  they  did  not  drop  off  when  full,  but 
remained  sticking  in  the  wound.  If  we  attempted  to  pull  one 
away  the  head  would  come  off  in  the  flesh  and  cause  a  fester 
ing  sore. 

On  Monday,  April  7th,  it  began  to  rain  and  continued  to 
pour  down  incessantly  until  the  nth.  On  Wednesday  four 
companies  of  the  regiment  started  out  on  a  reconnoisance  and 
soon  came  upon  a  nest  of  rebels  who  opened  fire  on  them. 
Our  boys  returned  the  fire.  Sergeant  David  Irwin,  of  Com 
pany  F,  was  killed,  and  our  men  returned  to  camp. 

The  hard  work  of  our  army  now  began,  and  the  long  delay, 
exposure  and  fatigue  in  these  fever-laden  swamps  soon  began 
to  tell  on  the  man  unused  to  such  a  climate ;  hospitals  filled 
up  and  the  men  lost  that  buoyancy  and  hopefulness  they  pos 
sessed  when  he  started  out  so  gaily  from  Hampton.  The 
whole  country  was  a  vast  bog,  ponds  of  water  lying  in  every 
direction. 

Day  and  night  there  was  a  succession  of  storm,  thunder  and 
lightning,  while  the  rain  fell  in  torrents.  The  soldiers  on  duty 
had  to  endure  all  this.  Often  at  night,  being  rushed  out  to  the 
front  at  the  double  quick,  when,  heated  and  perspiring,  they 
were  made  to  lie  down  on  the  water-soaked  ground  until  after 
becoming  chilled  to  the  bone,  they  were  brought  back  to  camp 
wearied  and  feverish.  Soon  an  apathy  would  creep  over  them 
like  a  paralysis  and  in  a  few  days  more,  all  the  symptoms  of 
typhoid  fever  would  be  developed  and  they  would  be  carried 
to  a  hospital,  usually  a  rough  pen  made  from  saplings,  where 
without  careful  nursing  and  any  of  the  comforts  of  home,  they 
tossed  and  moaned  in  the  delirium  of  the  deadly  fever  until, 
wrapped  in  a  blanket,  they  were  carried  out  and  committed  to 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  79 

the  earth,  their  soldiering  forever  ended.  We  have  thus  dwelt 
rather  long  on  this  gloomy  picture  which  is  not  overdrawn, 
to  show  what  our  boys  had  to  endure  during  those  never-to-be- 
forgotten  days  of  the  siege  of  Yorktown. 

On  Thursday  night,  April  loth,  several  of  our  companions 
went  out  to  within  a  short  distance  of  the  rebel  fortifications 
and  dug  some  rifle  pits,  in  which  they  remained  the  rest  of 
the  night.  Unfortunately,  they  remained  too  long  in  them,  and 
when  morning  broke  they  could  not  get  away  as  the  rebels, 
knowing  by  some  means  that  they  wrere  there,  kept  a  careful 
surveillance  on  their  hiding  places,  and  as  soon  as  a  head 
appeared  above  the  edge  of  the  pit  it  became  the  target  for 
dozens  of  guns  from  the  rebel  works.  All  day  the  boys  had  to 
remain  in  the  holes,  and  as  it  was  very  hot  and  the  boys  had 
neither  water  nor  rations,  they  suffered  greatly.  Towards 
evening  it  was  seen  that  the  Johnnies  were  about  to  make  a 
charge  and  would  likely  capture  all  in  the  rifle  pits.  It  became 
necessary,  therefore,  to  get  out  of  that  and  to  get  out  quickly, 
consequently  we  hastily  scrambled  out  and  ran.  We  emerged 
from  that  locality  swapping  time  for  distance,  making  many  a 
step  to  the  minute,  but  comparatively  few  to  the  mile.  The 
enemy  gave  us  a  volley  which  killed  a  man  named  Eliphalet 
Crow,  of  Company  K,  and  one  of  Company  A  named  Joe 
Thompson. 

On  our  way  back  to  camp  we  were  met  by  a  section  of  a 
battery  which  opened  on  the  rebs  and  checked  pursuit.  We 
carried  our  dead  comrades  back  to  camp,  and  with  sad  hearts, 
laid  them  away.  Thompson  was  the  first  man  killed  in  Com 
pany  A,  and  for  a  time  it  cast  a  gloom  over  the  boys.  He  was 
a  noble  fellow  and  a  brave  soldier. 

This  incident  recalls  a  remark  made  by  Colonel  Hays  that 
night,  while  standing  with  a  number  of  other  officers  by  a 
camp  fire.  The  conversation  was  about  the  late  skirmish  and 
the  death  of  our  comrades.  During  the  talk  Colonel  Hays 
made  the  remark : 

"If  I  should  be  killed  during  the  war,  I  want  to  be  killed 
right  at  the  head  of  the  Sixty-third  Regiment." 


80  UNDER   THE    RED    PATCH 

This  was  in  April,  1862,  and  on  May  5,  1864,  after  he  had 
been  promoted  to  Brigadier  General  and  we  were  engaged  in  a 
bloody  fight  in  the  Wilderness,  he  rode  down  the  line  with  his 
staff,  and  stopped  at  the  head  of  his  old  regiment,  as  he  most 
always  did,  to  say  a  few  words  to  the  boys.  He  ordered  Cap 
tain  Nesbitt,  of  Company  B,  to  deploy  his  company  and 
advance  in  skirmish  line  to  the  front  in  order  to  develop  the 
enemy's  position.  Just  after  giving  this  order  a  rebel  bullet 
struck  him  in  the  forehead  and  he  fell  just  where  he  said  he 
wished  to  be  killed  on  that  gloomy  night  by  the  camp-fire 
at  Yorktown  two  years  before. 

Of  this  engagement  at  Peach  Orchard  and  Wynn's  Mills, 
Colonel  Hays  made  the  following  report : 

Camp  Harper,  near  Yorktown,  Va., 
First  Brigade,  Hamilton's  Division, 

April  12th,  1862. 
Capt.  R.  M.  Sawyer, 

Assist.  Adj't.   General: 

Sir: — For  the  information  of  the  Brigadier  General  commanding 
the  division,  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  statement  of 
the  operations  of  the  Sixty-third  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers: 

The  regiment,  numbering  for  duty,  eight  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
was  detailed  on  the  evening  of  the  10th  inst.,  for  picquet  duty,  along 
the  lines  of  the  fortifications,  guarding  the  approaches  to  Yorktown. 

The  night  was  passed  without  any  material  demonstration  from 
either  side.  On  the  llth  inst.,  however,  an  attack  was  made  by  the 
rebels  upon  our  advanced  picquets,  from  a  rifle  pit  opposite  the 
centre  of  our  line.  The  line  was  very  judiciously  retired  into  the 
woods,  of  which  the  enemy,  taking  advantage,  left  their  cover  and 
advanced.  Our  men  at  once  drove  them  back,  with  what  result  upon 
their  side  I  am  unable  to  say,  but  with  a  loss  on  our  part  of  Private 
Crow,  of  Company  K,  killed. 

About  3  o'clock  p.  m.  another  attack  was  made  upon  the  centre  of 
the  left  wing,  directly  opposite  the  extreme  work  of  the  enemy,  on 
the  right.  They  were  three  times  repulsed,  but  succeeded  in  firing 
a  farm  house,  barn  and  outhouses,  lying  between  the  two  lines.  The 
enemy's  loss  is  certainly  severe  at  this  point.  I  am  happy  to  report 
that  no  one  of  ours  was  even  wounded.  After  their  repulse  I  became 
satisfied  from  their  movements  that  they  designed  making  another 
attack  upon  our  right.  Brigadier  General  Jameson  coming  up  with 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  81 

the  remaining  regiments  of  his  brigade,  I  communicated  to  him  my 
opinion,  when  he  immediately  ordered  the  Fifty-seventh  Pennsyl 
vania  Volunteers  to  the  support  of  our  right  wing,  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Morgan.  Very  soon  my  opinion  was  confirmed, 
by  firing,  the  Fifty-seventh  was  rapidly  deployed  into  the  woods, 
and  supporting  the  picquet  line,  opposite  the  fort,  on  our  extreme 
right,  the  firing  became  successive  and  effectual. 

The  picquet  line  at  this  point  is  about  1,500  yards  from  the 
(rebel)  fortifications,  and  midway  between  a  line  of  rifle  pits  have 
been  dug,  from  which  our  men  continually  annoyed  the  enemy.  The 
enemy  deployed  a  strong  force  from  their  work,  which  drove  our 
riflemen  from  the  pits,  and  enabled  them  to  advance  to  our  lines, 
burning  a  house  and  other  buildings.  They  were  soon  repulsed,  with 
what  loss  I  am  endeavoring  to  ascertain.  On  our  side  the  loss  was 
only  one  killed — Private  Joseph  Thompson,  Company  A — and  two 
privates  wounded. 

I  regret  the  length  of  this  communication,  but  cannot  omit  to 
testify  to  the  gallant  bearing  of  my  brother-in-arms,  Charles  Camp 
bell,  and  the  steadiness  and  discipline  of  his  regiment — the  Fifty- 
seventh  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

My  own  officers  and  men  have  justified  my  most  sanguine  antici 
pations.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Morgan,  Adjutant  Corts,  Captains  Kirk- 
wood,  Hanna  and  McClellan  demand  especial  notice. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

ALEXANDER  HAYS, 
Col.   63rd  Regt.,  Pa.  Vols. 

Thus  the  month  wore  away  and  our  works  approached  com 
pletion.  It  was  expected  that  as  soon  as  they  were  finished 
the  grand  assault  would  take  place  and  a  notable  battle  would 
be  fought.  By  the  close  of  the  month,  owing  to  the  long  con 
tinued  wet  weather  and  the  exposure  in  the  rifle  pits  and  heavy 
fatigue  duty,  the  hospitals  were  full  of  sick;  typhoid  fever  in 
its  most  malignant  form  prevailed,  and  the  mortality  was 
great.  The  boys  were  becoming  discouraged,  they  had 
enlisted  to  fight  the  enemy,  not  to  lie  in  our  swamps  and  see 
the  grand  army  melting  away  from  sickness.  The  news 
papers,  too,  were  saying  unkind  things  about  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  All  these  things  worried  the  soldiers  and  added  to 
their  discontent,  so  that  all  were  praying  for  a  move  and  some 
active  service ;  we  had  become  heartsick  of  lying  in  these  fever 


82  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

laden  swamps,  drinking  stagnant  water  and  drenched  to  the 
skin  nearly  every  day. 

At  length  McClellan  had  completed  all  his  plans  for  the 
assault  on  the  rebel  fortifications,  but  here,  as  in  other 
instances,  the  fruit  of  these  great  toils  was  turned  into  ashes 
before  we  could  grasp  it.  On  the  night  of  May  3rd  the  whole 
army  knew  that  on  the  following  morning  the  battle  would 
open  and  a  general  excitement  was  in  every  regiment  before 
Yorktown. 

None  of  the  old  boys  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  will  forget 
that  Saturday  night.  As  soon  as  it  grew  dark,  regiment  after 
regiment  filed  silently  out  of  their  camps  and  took  up  their 
allotted  positions  where  they  would  operate  in  the  coming 
struggle.  The  Sixty-third  was  placed  well  on  the  right  of  the 
line  opposite  to  where  the  rebs  had  some  heavy  seige  guns. 
The  cannonading  on  that  night  was  grand  beyond  description. 
Owing  to  some  peculiar  conditions  of  the  atmosphere  for  pro 
longing  sound,  every  discharge  of  the  rebel  guns  .was  followed 
by  a  long,  deep,  reverberating  roar  like  deep  thunder  as  peal 
followed  peal,  and  the  earth  seemed  to  tremble.  It  was  not 
at  all  like  the  sharp,  deafening  crashes  of  the  terrible  cannon 
ade  at  Gettysburg,  but  a  roar  different  from  any  we  had  heard 
before  or  since.  The  burning  fuses  of  the  mortar  shells  could 
be  ^aen  like  fiery  serpents  crossing  back  and  forth  as  the 
mighty  projectiles  came  sailing  through  the  black  night.  All 
night  the  enemy  kept  up  this  terrible  cannonading  and  not  an 
answering  shot  was  fired  by  the  Union  army,  but  we  lay  hug 
ging  the  ground,  waiting  for  the  morning  light  in  order  to 
begin  the  fray. 

As  soon  as  morning  dawned  the  firing  ceased,  and  as  the 
Union  skirmishers  advanced  to  feel  the  enemy,  they  found 
there  was  no  enemy  in  front  of  them,  for,  during  the  night, 
while  a  portion  of  their  army  remained  to  keep  up  a  furious 
artillery  fire,  the  rest  had  silently  decamped  and  retreated 
toward  Richmond,  leaving  their  deserted  camps,  which  \vas  all 
we  had  for  the  long  seige  and  hard  labors,  besides  burying 
many  hundreds  of  our  poor  comrades  in  the  dark  swamps. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  83 

While  cheer  after  cheer  broke  from  our  Union  soldiers, 
mingled  with  the  blaring  of  brass  bands  and  the  thunder  of 
drums,  there  were  curses  loud  and  deep  from  the  disappointed 
men  who  saw  the  hopes  of  a  brilliant  victory  suddenly  snatched 
from  their  grasp.  After  thirty  days  of  stupendous  work  and 
wonderful  engineering,  Yorktown  was  ours  without  striking  a 
blow;  but  what  a  barren  victory!  The  enemy  carried  off 
everything  of  value,  save  a  few  cannon,  which  they  spiked 
before  leaving. 

Yes,  Yorktown  wras  ours,  a  bloodless  victory,  but  a  very 
unsatisfactory  one;  just  as  we  were  ready  to  settle  old  scores 
with  the  enemy  he  had  quietly  walked  off  and  left  us  some 
empty  entrenchments  in  return  for  all  we  had  suffered.  While 
we  stood  in  groups  talking  excitedly  over  the  matter,  staff 
officers  and  orderlies  were  dashing  in  all  directions  to  head 
quarters  of  commanders  and  soon  the  loud,  clear  tones  of  the 
bugle  told  that  the  army  would  move  at  once,  and  a  hot  pur 
suit  of  the  fleeing  rebels  would  take  place.  In  a  few  minutes 
long  lines  of  cavalry  were  seen  galloping  rapidly  along  the 
roads  leading  to  Richmond.  The  artillery  started  next,  quickly 
followed  by  the  steady  tramp,  tramp  of  the  infantry,  and  the 
mighty  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  in  motion. 

Before  evacuating  the  place,  the  rebels  planted  a  number  of 
torpedoes  in  the  road  and  around  the  springs  and  wells.  These 
were  buried  so  that  only  the  capped  nipple  of  the  shell  came 
to  the  surface,  and  when  stepped  on  they  exploded,  killing  all 
near  by. 

Chaplain  Marks  relates  an  incident  that  he  witnessed  which 
showed  the  devilish  ingenuity  of  the  wretches.  A  soldier  of  a 
New  York  Regiment  while  at  a  spring,  saw  a  pocket  knife 
lying  on  the  ground.  Picking  it  up,  he  found  a  cork  tied  to  it. 
Without  any  suspicion  he  gaVe  it  a  pull  to  see  what  the  cord 
was  fastened  to,  and  the  next  instant  was  torn  into  fragments, 
the  cord  having  been  fastened  to  the  machinery  of  a  concealed 
torpedo  and  the  slight  pull  had  exploded  it. 

General  McClellan  at  this  place  authorized  an  act  for  which 
he  was  soundly  denounced  by  the  southern  papers  and  many 


84  UNDER  THE   RED   PATCH 

of  the  copperhead  sheets  of  the  North.  We  had  a  number  of 
rebel  prisoners  in  our  hands,  and  by  order  of  the  General 
they  were  compelled  to  go  over  the  ground  and  completely 
remove  the  buried  torpedoes.  Of  course  they  ran  great  risks, 
but  none  were  injured,  as  they  well  knew  where  they  were 
hidden.  Rebel  papers  roasted  McClellan,  calling  it  cruel,  bar 
barous,  and  not  warranted  by  the  usages  of  war.  They  had 
not  a  word  to  say  against  the  savage  barbarity  of  those  who 
planted  these  deadly  engines  in  the  pathway  of  the  army. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

(From  May  4,  1862,  to  May  31,  1862.) 


BATTLE  OF  WILLIAMSBURG— CAMP  SASSAFRAS    BATTLE  OF  FAIR  OAKS. 


KEARNEY  AT  FAIR  OAKS 

So  that  soldierly  legend  is  still  on  its  journey — 

That  story  of  Kearney  who  knew  not  to  yield! 
'Twas  the  day  when  with  Jameson,  fierce  Berry  and  Birney, 

Against  twenty  thousand  he  rallied  the  field. 
When  the  red  volleys  poured,  where  the  clamor  rose  highest, 

Where  the  dead  lay  in  clumps  through  the  dwarf  oak  and  pine, 
Where  the  aim  from  the  thicket  was  surest  and  nighest, — 

No  charge  like  Phil  Kearney's  along  the  whole  line. 

When  the  battle  went  ill,  and  the  bravest  were  solemn, 

Near  the  dark  Seven  Pines,  where  we  still  held  our  ground, 
He  rode  down  the  length  of  the  withering  column, 

And  his  heart  at  our  war-cry  leaped  up  with  a  bound. 
He  snuffed,  like  his  charger,  the  wind  of  the  powder, — 

His  sword  waved  us  on  and  we  answered  the  sign; 
Loud  our  cheers  as  we  rushed,  but  his  laugh  rang  the  louder: 

"There's  the  devil's  own  fun  boys,  along  the  whole  line." 

How  he  strode  his  brown  steed!     How  we  saw  his  blade  brighten 

In  the  one  hand  still  left,  the  reins  in  his  teeth, 
He  laughed  like  a  boy  when  the  holidays  heighten, 

But  a  soldier's  glance  shot  from  his  visor  beneath! 
Up  came  the  reserves  to  the  melee  infernal, 

Asking  where  to  go  in — through  the  clearing  or  pine? 
"O,  anywhere!    Forward!     'Tis  all  the  same,  Colonel: 

You'll  find  lovely  fighting  along  the  whole  line." 

O,  evil  the  black  shroud  of  night  at  Chantilly, 

That  hid  him  from  sight  of  his  brave  men  and  tried! 
Foul,  foul,  sped  the  bullet  that  clipped  the  white  lily, 

The  flower  of  our  knighthood,  the  whole  army's  pride! 
Yet  we  dream  that  he  still — in  the  shadowy  region 

Where  the  dead  form  their  ranks  at  the  wan  drummer's  sign — 
Rides  on,  as  of  old,  down  the  length  of  this  legion, 

And  the  word  still  is  FORWARD!  along  the  whole  line. 

— Edmund  Clarence  Stedman. 

TCIFTEEN  miles  from  Yorktown,  on  the  main  road  leading 

to  Richmond,  is  the  old  town  of  Williamsburg.    Here  the 

rebels  had  erected  some  earthworks  and  a  fort  which  they  had 


86  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

named  Fort  Magruder.  The  erection  of  these  works  showed 
that  they  had  not  expected  to  stand  the  brunt  of  a  general 
engagement  at  Yorktown,  but  had  built  them  in  case  of  a 
retreat  that  might  hold  McClellan  for  a  time  until  their  army 
could  get  safely  off  with  its  equipments  to  the  entrenchments 
at  Richmond.  They  evidently  had  no  idea  that  our  army  would 
remain  a  whole  month  in  the  sickly  swamps  and  morasses  and 
thus  decimate  its  ranks  by  disease  and  death. 

The  rebels  retreated  to  these  works,  where  they  prepared 
to  give  us  a  warm  reception.  As  we  marched  through  the 
deserted  camps  at  Yorktown  we  could  see  the  destitution  of 
the  Confederate  soldiers.  There  were  none  of  the  comforts 
that  marked  the  quarters  of  the  Union  Army ;  they  had  but 
few  tents  and  had  constructed  quarters  by  weaving  bushes 
together,  a  good  protection  from  the  sun,  but  no  defense 
against  the  heavy  rains  so  prevalent  in  this  section.  The  Con 
federates  suffered  as  much  from  exposure  as  the  Union  men 
did,  but  it  did  not  seem  to  affect  them  in  the  same  way,  and 
we  were  told  by  rebel  prisoners  that  there  was  very  little  sick 
ness  in  the  rebel  camps  during  the  siege.  Our  regiment  joined 
in  the  pursuit  at  I  o'clock  that  Sunday  afternoon,  May  4th,  and 
we  noticed  that  the  road  was  filled  with  broken  wagons  and 
other  debris  of  a  retreating  army.  We  marched  about  six 
miles  from  Yorktown  and  went  into  camp  on  a  hillside.  The 
evening  was  pleasant  and  gave  promise  of  a  fine  night.  We 
did  not  put  up  our  tents,  but  stretched  ourselves  on  our 
blankets,  and  soon 'all,  save  the  guards,  were  sound  asleep. 
About  midnight  we  were  awakened  by  one  of  the  heaviest 
thunderstorms  wre  had  yet  experienced  in  this  land  of  heavy 
storms,  the  rain  poured  down  in  floods,  and  soon  every  soldier 
was  soaked  to  the  skin  and  the  camp  ground  was  a  lake.  The 
boys  scrambled  up,  and  collecting  their  few  belongings,  stood 
nearly  ankle  deep  in  water  until  morning. 

The  rain  ceased  at  daybreak,  and  after  infinite  labor  and 
much  grumbling,  we  managed  to  make  fires  and  boil  some 
coffee  and  started  again  on  the  pursuit.  The  rain  began  again 
about  9  o'clock  and  the  roads  became  quagmires  in  which  the 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  87 

wagons  sank  up  to  the  axles.  About  noon  we  heard  heavy 
cannonading  far  away  in  front.  General  Hooker,  who  was 
leading  the  advance,  had  come  up  to  the  enemy  strongly 
entrenched  and  had  opened  the  ball.  Soon  orderlies,  covered 
with  mud,  came  dashing  back  along  the  line  with  orders  to 
hurry  up  the  men.  On  through  the  deep  mire  and  pelting 
rain  the  tired  soldiers  pushed  their  way,  the  firing  growing 
louder  every  minute. 

Every  now  and  then  we  had  to  make  way  in  the  road  for 
artillery  which  was  rushing  forward  furiously,  the  horses  and 
guns  being  literally  covered  with  mud.  The  roar  of  the  guns 
became  louder  and  louder,  mingled  with  the  crashing  volleys 
of  musketry.  The  Battle  of  W^lliamsburg  was  on. 

General  Hooker  found  the  enemy  entrenched  at  a  place 
called  Lee's  Mill.  After  a  short  engagement  they  fell  back  into 
the  woods,  and  Hooker  followed  and  found  them  posted  more 
strongly.  It  was  about  2 130  p.  m.,  while  our  division  was 
floundering  in  the  muddy  roads,  making  desperate  efforts  to 
get  up  and  take  a  part.  During  the  last  two  miles  of  the  march 
we  were  pushed  forward  at  the  double  quick  and  arrived  at 
the  edge  of  the  battlefield  just  at  dark.  The  firing  ceased  as 
the  Sixty-third  came  on  the  ground  and  we  had  no  part  in 
the  action,  but  we  bivouacked  on  the  field  expecting  that  in  the 
early  morning-  our  time  would  come  to  take  part  in  the  strug 
gle.  The  misery  of  that  night  will  never  be  forgotten  by  the 
soldiers.  It  was  cold  and  a  drizzling  rain  fell,  and  without  any 
protection  from  the  storm,  we  sat  with  our  guns  in  hand  all 
through  the  long  weary  night,  After  many  hours  of  ceaseless 
marching  we  found  ourselves,  having  been  run  at  double  quick, 
exposed  to  a  most  unpitying  storm,  standing  in  many  places 
knee-deep  in  water,  without  food  and  without  fire,  and  all 
night  under  arms.  During  the  night  the  enemy  left  their 
works  and  began  their  retreat  toward  Richmond,  leaving  their 
dead  unburied,  and  most  of  their  wounded  on  the  field. 

Next  morning,  as  we  moved  on  to  the  field,  the  sight  that 
greeted  our  eyes  was  a  most  ghastly  one,  hundreds  of  dead  of 
both  armies  were  strewn  in  every  direction,  trampled  on,  and 


88  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

half  buried  in  the  mud.  Numbers  of  wounded  were  moaning 
piteously  for  help,  while  dead  and  dying  horses,  broken 
wagons,  and  abandoned  guns  lay  scattered  in  all  directions. 
As  soon  as  our  men  took  possession  of  the  field,  details  were 
set  to  work  to  bury  the  dead  and  care  for  the  wounded ;  long 
trenches  were  dug  and  the  dead  laid  therein,  side  by  side. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment  marched  into  the 
town  of  Williamsburg  and  through  it  to  a  distance  of  a  mile 
beyond,  where  they  formed  in  line  of  battle,  while  the  Sixty- 
third  marched  into  the  town  and  went  into  camp. 

John  Howenstein  and  W.  H.  Morrow,  in  order  to  avoid  the 
deep  mud  of  the  road,  went  across  a  wheat  field  in  order  to 
reach  the  town.  About  the  middle  of  the  field  they  came  upon 
the  body  of  a  dead  rebel,  who  having  been  desperately  wounded 
during  the  battle,  had  started  across  the  field,  not  knowing  in 
his  agony  where,  and  from  loss  of  blood  had  fallen  and  died  in 
the  wheat  field.  His  face  was  upturned,  and  the  rain  of  the 
night  had  washed  his  face  which  was  most  strikingly  beau 
tiful,  and  the  smile  thereon  made  us  think  that  he  had  died 
dreaming  of  the  loved  ones  at  home  in  the  far  south.  He  was 
a  very  refined  and  intelligent  looking  man,  and  evidently 
"somebody's  darling."  We  opened  his  knapsack  and  with  the 
usual  clothing  of  a  soldier,  found  a  testament,  on  the  fly-leaf 
of  which  was  the  following  inscription :  " Presented  to  Walter 
Hartley  by  the  ladies  of  the  Selma  Seminary."  It  seemed  too 
hard  to  leave  the  handsome  young  soldier  lying  there  unburied, 
so  the  two  comrades  went  back  to  the  battlefield  and  procured 
a  couple  of  shovels  and  returning  to  the  wheat  field,  dug  a 
shallow  grave  and  laid  him  therein  and  left  him  sleeping  the 
soldier's  last  sleep,  far  from  home  and  friends. 

"Somebody  wept  when  he  marched  away, 
Looking  so  noble,  so  brave  and  grand; 
Somebody's  kiss  on  his  forehead  lay, 
Somebody  clung  to  his  parting  hand." 

Morrow  kept  that  testament  for  about  20  years,  when  one 
day  he  wrote  to  the  postmaster  at  Selma,  detailing  the  circum 
stances  of  the  affair.  In  a  few  days  he  received  a  letter  from  a 


MAJOR 
JAMES  F.  RYAN 


CHAPLAIN 
JUNIUS  J.MARKS 


ADJUTANT 
JOHN5A.YOUNG, 


MAJOR 
EORGHWMCCULIOUG}| 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  89 

lady  named  Mrs.  Evans,  saying  that  Walter  Hartley  was  her 
only  brother ;  that  he  had  enlisted  in  the  beginning  of  the  war, 
and  when  he  left,  the  young  ladies  of  Selma  Seminary  had 
given  each  of  the  young  men  who  had  enlisted  from  that  town, 
a  testament.  She  said  that  she  knew  her  brother  had  been 
killed  somewhere  in  Virginia,  but  had  never,  up  to  that  time, 
known  the  particulars.  It  was  a  very  pathetic  letter  and  he 
at  once  sent  her  the  testament  for  which  she  returned  a  beauti 
ful  letter  of  thanks. 

When  we  took  possession  of  Williamsburg,  the  citizens 
acted  at  first  as  if  they  expected  the  most  inhuman  treatment 
from  our  men  ;  at  every  house  a  white  flag  wras  displayed  in 
token  of  surrender,  but  not  a  single  case  of  inhumanity  was 
heard  of  from  our  boys.  On  the  contrary,  guards  were  placed 
at  every  house  to  prevent  our  soldiers  from  intruding  on  the 
inmates,  and  in  a  short  time  the  inhabitants  regained  their 
composure.  Many  of  the  citizens,  however,  had  left  the  town 
when  they  became  aware  of  the  retreat  of  the  army  from  York- 
town;  those  who  possessed  horses  and  carriages  went  off  in 
wildest  haste  to  where  they  imagined  was  a  place  of  safety. 

As  soon  as  the  people  had  recovered  from  their  scare,  the 
old  secesh  feeling  began  to  show  itself,  especially  among  the 
women,  which  recalls  another  incident. 

The  next  day  after  we  entered  the  town,  as  one  member  of 
the  regiment  was  going  down  the  main  street,  he  saw  a  well 
in  the  back  yard  of  a  handsome  house.  His  canteen  being 
empty  at  the  time,  he  went  in  at  a  gate  and  around  the  house 
to  the  well.  As  he  reached  it,  he  saw  standing  on  the  back 
porch  a  most  pleasant  looking  old  lady,  and  asked  her  if  he 
could  fill  his  canteen  with  water. 

"Oh,  yes,"  she  replied  quickly.  "You  uns  are  masters  here 
now,  but  it's  only  for  a  short  time." 

He  said  nothing,  and  after  filling  his  canteen,  started  to  go 
out  of  the  yard,  but  the  dear  old  soul  had  a  few  more  shots  to 
fire  at  him. 

"See  here,  young  man,"  she  said,  "don't  you  imagine  that 
because  you  have  taken  this  town  you'll  be  allowed  to  keep  it. 


90  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

No  indeed.  You  Northern  people  can  never  conquer  the 
South ;  we  have  the  brains,  the  understanding  and  the  real 
blood,  and  our  men  are  much  braver  than  any  of  the  Northern 
nigger  worshipers — " 

And  thus  she  went  on  for  nearly  half  an  hour,  extolling  the 
South  and  denouncing  the  North.  He  made  no  reply  as  she 
was  an  old  lady,  and  it  seemed  to  do  her  so  much  good  to  vent 
her  anger  on  some  Northern  soldier.  His  passive  manner 
appeared  to  put  her  in  a  better  humor,  but  as  he  passed  out 
she  fired  this  parting  shot  after  him  : 

"Young  man,  when  you  uns  are  taking  the  back  track 
through  here  with  our  boys  at  your  heels,  you  can  stop  here 
for  some  more  water." 

In  the  next  August,  when  General  Pope  and  his  shattered 
army  were  coming  down  by  way  of  Manassas  and  our  army 
was  ordered  down  the  peninsula  to  go  and  save  him,  we. 
thought  of  what  the  old  lady  had  said  as  we  passed  through 
Williamsburg  on  "the  back  track,"  but  you  can  rest  assured 
that  we  did  not  stop  at  that  house  for  water. 

Williamsburg  is  one  of  the  moct  interesting  towns  in  Vir 
ginia,  being  four  miles  from  where  Jame:town  was  founded 
in  1607,  but  in  1697  the  officers  of  the  government  removed  to 
Williamsburg,  which  was  chosen  as  the  capitol  of  the  colony. 
The  College  of  William  and  Mary  is  one  of  the  historic  places. 
It  was  founded  by  King  William  and  his  Queen  Mary,  who 
endowed  it  with  one  thousand  acres  of  land  and  duties  on  furs 
and  skins,  and  one  penny  per  pound  on  all  tobacco  exported 
from  Virginia  and  JVIaryland.  Many  of  Virginia's  most  dis 
tinguished  scions,  such  as  Washington,  Patrick  Henry,  Jeffer 
son  and  others,  were  educated  here. 

The  college  and  churches  of  the  town  were  being  used  as 
hospitals  for  the  wounded  of  both  armies,  many  of  the  rebel 
surgeons  being  permitted  to  remain  and  attend  their  wounded 
men. 

Our  regiment  had  encamped  in  a  beautiful  green  field  at  the 
northern  edge  of  the  town,  and  after  the  gloomy  days  spent  at 
Yorktown,  amid  the  swamps  and  morasses,  this  place,  with  its 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  91 

handsome  environments,  was  a  Garden  of  Eden  to  us.  We 
hoped  we  would  be  allowed  to  remain  here  for  a  long  time ;  in 
fact  Colonel  Hays  was  offered  the  provost  marshalship  of  the 
place,  which  would  have  been  very  delightful  to  us,  but  his 
reply  was  characteristic  of  the  man :  "The  Sixty-third  came 
out  to  fight  and  not  to  loaf  around  doing  nothing  to  put  down 
the  rebellion,"  so  we  remained  here  from  the  5th  of  May  until 
the  9th,  when  we  left  and  marched  about  seven  miles  through 
a  very  fine  country  and  encamped  in  a  large  field.  The  next 
day  was  very  warm  and  sultry  and  we  marched  about  12  miles 
through  a  fine  tract  of  country,  although  the  farms  were  going 
to  ruin  very  fast  and  nearly  all  the  houses  were  deserted.  We 
encamped  in  the  evening  alongside  of  the  road  and  near  by  was 
one  of  the  finest  springs  of  water  we  had  yet  seen  in  the  State. 

After  the  rebels  retreated  from  Yorktown,  and  following  the 
Battle  of  Williamsburg,  our  camps  began  to  fill  up  with 
negroes,  runaway  slaves,  who,  when  the  Union  Army  came 
within  reaching  distance,  left  their  masters  and  came  to  us  in 
great  numbers.  Aged  aunties  with  great  bundles  on  their 
heads,  old  gray-haired  uncles,  lively  youngsters,  all  came 
flocking  in  with  the  confidence  and  trust  of  children,  believing 
that  when  they  reached  the  "Unions"  they  were  safe  from  all 
future  trouble.  The  able-bodied  male  slaves  were  more  closely 
guarded  and  compelled  to  work  on  the  rebel  fortifications,  bat 
still  numbers  of  them  managed  to  slip  off  and  come  into  our 
lines. 

A  negro  named  Dick  Watson  gave  us  an  account  of  his 
escape  to  the  Union  Army;  it  was  while  we  lay  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  the  Rappahanriock  River  in  1863.  Dick's  story  was 
as  follows : 

"I  tells  you,  boss,  I  often  wished  to  cle  Lor'  dat  I  could  get 
away,  an'  one  night  I  was  lyin'  in  de  hay  mow,  jes'  a-wonderin' 
how  I  might  git  free,  when  Jim  Bates,  a  nigger  from  de  nex' 
plantation,  come  along  an'  said,  kinder  low  an'  careful :  'Dick ! 
Say,  Dick!  Is  you  asleep?'  I  said,  sorter  low,  too:  'No,  I 
isn't.'  'Well,'  ses  Jim,  'de  Unions  is  only  'bout  five  miles  down 
dis  road.'  An'  Lor'  bres  you,  boss !  he  hadn't  de  words  out  till 


92  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

I  was  jest  a-hiken'  down  dat  road  in  my  bar'  feet  an'  no  hat. 
I  tells  you  I  jest  flew,  a  skeered  hoss  couldn't  a-cotched  me. 
All  at  once  somebody  hollered  out  quick  an'  sharp:  'Halt! 
Who  goes  dar?'  I  hollered  back,  'Is  you  de  Unions?'  He  said 
'yes,'  and  den  boss,  'clare  to  goodness  I  jest  set  down  in  de 
road  an'  cried  for  joy,  I  knowed  I  was  safe  den,  no  more 
whippin'  post  for  Dick." 

It  was,  however,  not  alone  to  escape  from  slavery  that 
brought  many  of  the  negroes  into  our  lines.  Times  were 
pretty  hard  on  the  other  side  and  food  was  rather  scarce. 
While  we  lay  in  front  of  Richmond,  two  likely  darkies  made 
their  escape  and  came  into  our  lines.  We  asked  them :  "Boys, 
would  you  sooner  be  in  our  army  than  with  the  rebs?"  One  of 
them  answered  promptly :  "Yes,  indeed,  boss ;  why  dey 
haven't  any  grease  on  der  bread  over  dar." 

We  lay  in  this  camp  by  the  Yorktown  Road  until  May  I3th, 
and  again  moved  forward  about  two  miles  and  encamped  in  a 
large  wheat  field  where  we  remained  until  the  next  morning  at 
4  o'clock,  when  we  took  up  the  line  of  march  and  moved  for 
ward  through  a  desolate  country  about  eight  miles,  and  went 
into  camp  in  a  large  field  close  by  a  small  stream  of  running 
water,  which  enabled  the  boys  to  wash  their  clothes  and  take 
a  good  bath,  which  was  badly  needed.  The  next  morning  was 
ushered  in  by  a  regular  downpour  of  rain  which  soon  had  the 
road  in  a  river  of  mud,  rendering  the  marching  very  laborious. 
We  left  camp  about  8 130  and  after  a  long,  tiresome  march  we 
passed  New  Kent  Court  House.  This  road  was  known  as  the 
New  Kent  and  Richmond  Road.  We  reached  New  Kent  about 
noon,  and  moving  down  a  long  slope,  went  into  camp  in  a 
large  swampy  bottom  on  the  Pamunky  River,  near  Cumber 
land  Landing.  The  Pamunky  is  a  deep,  sluggish  river,  a  tide 
water  stream,  too  narrow  for  navigation  for  the  larger  boats, 
but  deep  enough  to  float  a  man-of-war.  We  lay  in  this  camp 
until  Monday,  May  iQth,  when  we  started  and  marched  about 
three  miles,  on  what  was  known  as  the  Telegraph  Road,  and 
encamped. 

Next  morning  we  went  about  four  miles  on  that  road  and 
branched  off  on  the  James  River  Road,  and  after  going  about 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY- THIRD  REGIMENT  93 

three  miles  further  encamped  in  a  large  field.  Thjs  was  a 
pleasant  place  and  was  in  a  direct  line,  about  eight  miles  from 
Cumberland  Landing,  and  about  five  miles  from  White 
House.  White  House  was  a  historic  place,  being  the  property 
of  the  rebel  General  Lee.  It  stood  on  an  elevation  of  about  20 
feet  above  the  river.  It  was  here  that 'General  Washington, 
in  the  year  1758,  met  Mrs.  Custis,  who  afterward  became  his 
wife. 

Here  in  the  river  lay  more  than  one  hundred  vessels,  trans 
ports  and  steamers,  containing  supplies  for  the  army  with  hos 
pital  and  sutler's  stores. 

From  Baltimore  cross-roads,  where  we  were  encamped,  it 
was  five  miles  to  the  long  bridge  which  crosses  the  Chicka- 
hominy  at  the  great  swamp.  The  country  was  rolling,  and  the 
farms  reduced  to  desolation.  The  land,  if  properly  cultivated, 
would  doubtless  have  yielded  bountifully,  but  the  owners  had 
cleared  out,  most  of  them  being  in  the  Confederate  Army,  leav 
ing  their  farms  to  be  cared  for  by  the  negroes,  and  these,  as 
soon  as  our  army  approached,  left  everything  and  followed  us. 

We  remained  in  this  camp,  which  the  boys  named  "Camp 
Sassafras,"  until  Friday,  May  23rd,  when  at  3  o'clock  p.  m. 
we  were  ordered  into  line,  and  after  marching  until  about  10 
o'clock  that  night  were  halted,  and  threw  ourselves  down  by 
the  side  of  the  road  and  slept  until  morning. 

The  next  morning  by  5  o'clock  we  were  again  on  the  move, 
and  after  tramping  a  couple  of  miles  through  a  terrible  rain 
storm  went  into  camp  within  a  mile  of  the  York  River  & 
Richmond  Railroad. 

On  Sunday,  May  25th,  we  again  started  toward  the  rebel 
capitol  and  about  9  o'clock  came  to  the  famed  Chickahominy, 
which  we  crossed  at  Bottom  Bridge.  The  rebels  had  destroyed 
the  original  bridge,  and  we  crossed  on  pontoons.  This  stream 
has  scarcely  any  perceptible  flow,  but  spreads  out  in  wide 
swamps.  In  dry  weather  it  is  contracted  into  a  stream  not 
much  over  30  yards  in  width,  but  after  some  of  the  heavy  rains 
which  are  prevalent  in  this  country,  it  spreads  into  a  broad 
stream  with  but  little  depth,  but  abounding  in  treacherous 
swamps.  The  lands  beyond  the  Chickahominy  were  about  the 


94  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

meanest  we  had  passed  over,  and  by  poor  cultivation  had  been 
worn  out  and  abandoned  to  the  brier,  the  pine  and  the  swamp 
oak. 

We  had  expected  the  enemy  would  meet  us  here  and  oppose 
our  crossing  the  stream,  but  we  encountered  no  opposition,  the 
rebels  having  retired  to  Richmond. 

We  moved  about  three  miles  further  and  encamped.  The 
regiment  was  sent  about  a  mile  further  and  placed  on  picket. 
The  next  day  it  was  relieved  by  the  Eighty-seventh  New  York, 
and  we  returned  to  our  camp  of  the  day  previous.  Another 
severe  thunderstorm  deluged  us.  We  remained  here  until 
Thursday,  May  29th. 

In  the  meantime,  news  was  received  of  General  Banks'  defeat 
in  the  valley,  which  caused  the  boys  to  feel  rather  gloomy. 
We  left  camp  about  8  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  moved  about 
two  miles  and  encamped  in  a  pleasant  situation  alongside  the 
Richmond  &  York  River  Railroad. 

The  next  day  was  fought  the  Battle  of  Fair  Oaks.  A  short 
distance  from  our  camp  was  Savage  Station,  and  about  a  mile 
further,  on  toward  Richmond,  was  Fair  Oaks  Station. 

On  Friday,  May  3Oth,  all  was  quiet  and  peaceful  in  camp ; 
the  day  was  terribly  hot,  one  of  the  hottest  of  that  very  warm 
summer,  not  a  breath  of  air  stirred,  and  the  rays  of  the  sun 
poured  down  in  a  blistering  flood.  About  noon  the  sky 
assumed  a  curious  aspect,  it  was  no  longer  blue,  and  yet  no 
clouds  were  to  be  seen,  the  light  was  white  and  ghastly,  and 
it  was  evident  to  all  that  nature  was  preparing  for  some  ter 
rible  convulsion  of  the  elements.  The  men  lay  around  in  their 
tents  and  under  the  trees  in  a  listless  manner,  and  a  fearful 
hush  seemed  to  pervade  all  nature.  About  3  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  the  sky  assumed  a  coppery  color,  which  was  fright 
ful  to  behold.  Flashes  of  lightning  of  the  most  vivid  char 
acter  followed  each  other  so  rapidly  that  the  whole  sky  seemed 
to  be  aflame,  while  the  thunder  crashed  and  roared  in  a  manner 
that  caused  a  thrill  of  fright  to  strike  the  hearts  of  the  bravest. 
The  rain  fell  in  perfect  sheets  and  the  wind  blew  a  hurricane. 
The  storm  partially  ceased  about  6  o'clock  and  the  boys  pre 
pared  their  scanty  supper.  In  a  short  time  the  thunder,  which 


.      STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  95 

was  muttering  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  heavens,  began  to 
grow  louder,  and  it  was  soon  apparent  to  all  that  the  storm 
was  returning.  All  the  old  soldiers  of  that  portion  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  will  remember  as  long  as  they  live,  that 
terrible  night  of  thunder  and  lightning  and  tempest. 

All  night  long  the  fearful  war  of  the  elements  continued,  and 
during  the  night  a  number  of  men  in  our  division  were  killed 
by  lightning.  The  storm  ceased  about  daybreak,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  3ist  the  sun  rose  bright  and  clear.  The  camp 
was  soon  astir  and  the  boys  were  drying  their  clothing  and 
laughing  and  joking  as  usual.  The  sluggish  Chickahominy 
in  our  rear  was  now  a  raging  torrent  and  that  portion  of  the 
army  that  had  crossed  it  was  completely  separated  from  the 
rear  portion  on  the  other  side. 

That  day,  about  I  o'clock,  a  rattle  of  musketry  was  heard 
coming  from  the  extreme  front  where  Generals  Couch  and 
Casey's  divisions  were  stationed.  Calculating  upon  the  swell 
of  the  Chickahominy,  which  was  holding  the  two  wings  of 
our  army  apart,  the  rebel  General  Johnston  had  seized  this 
moment  to  hurl  his  army  against  us  in  order  to  annihilate  our 
entire  left  wing. 

The  musketry  fire  soon  deepened  into  a  continuous  roar  and 
presently  the  deep,  hollow  booming  of  cannon  joined  in,  and 
we  all  knew  a  battle  had  begun.  Soon  an  orderly  from  Gen 
eral  Kearney's  headquarters  was  seen  galloping  to  Colonel 
Hays'  tent,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  were  hurrying  up  the 
railroad  to  the  scene  of  carnage.  Presently  the  shells  from  the 
rebel  cannon  began  to  shriek  over  our  heads,  bursting  with 
startling  crashes  among  the  treetops,  while  the  zip,  zip,  zip  of 
the  musket  balls  betokened  that  we  would  soon  be  in  the  midst 
of  it. 

On  our  front  was  a  large  slashing — that  is,  the  woods  had 
been  cut  down,  the  trees  being  felled  so  that  they  lay  in  every 
way  forming  an  almost  impenetrable  mass  of  trunks  and 
branches.  The  rebels  had  possession  of  a  portion  of  this 
slashing,  and  Jameson's  Brigade,  consisting  of  the  One  Hun 
dred  and  Fifth,  Sixty-third  and  Fifty-seventh  Pennsylvania  and 


96  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

the  Eighty-seventh  New  York,  was  ordered  in  to  drive  them 
out.     In  we  went,  yelling  and  cheering  like  madmen. 

The  following  graphic  account  of  the  Battle  of  Fair  Oaks 
is  reproduced  from  a  letter  written  by  Captain  B.  J.  Reid,  of 
Company  F,  dated  "Bivouac  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  six  and  a  half 
miles  from  Richmond,  June  10,  1862 : 

"On  the  memorable  31st  of  May,  our  camp  was  about  a  mile  this 
side  of  the  Chickahominy,  at  some  rifle  pits  on  the  railroad,  at 
eleventh  mile  post  from  Richmond.  Two  of  our  companies  (I  and  K) 
were  two  miles  distant,  down  the  Chickahominy,  erecting  a  bridge. 
Colonel  Hays  and  Captain  Berringer  (acting  Major)  were  three  or 
four  miles  off,  southward,  inspecting  the  picket  lines  of  our 
(Kearney's)  division.  At  2  o'clock  Company  F  went  to  a  knoll 
across  the  railroad  to  bury  Corporal  Dunmire,  who  had  died  early 
that  morning.  While  at  the  grave  the  heavy  rattle  of  musketry  was 
distinctly  heard  to  the  westward,  mingled  with  the  booming  of  can 
non,  which  we  had  noticed  an  hour  before  without  paying  much 
attention  to  it,  from  its  being  of  frequent  occurrence.  Hastening 
back  to  camp,  after  the  close  of  the  ceremonies,  we  found  the  regi 
ment  forming  for  the  march. 

Our  brigade  (Jameson's)  was  ordered  forward.  Lieutenant  Col 
onel  Morgan  was  in  command  of  the  Sixty-third  Regiment.  We 
started  out  the  railroad  track,  on  the  usual  'route-step;'  but  had  not 
proceeded  far  when  we  were  met  by  a  courier  from  General  Kearney, 
and  the  command  'double  quick!'  was  given.  Besides  arms  and 
accountrements  and  sixty  rounds  of  ammunition  in  the  men's  cart 
ridge  boxes,  we  had  our  canteens  and  our  haversacks  filled  with  three 
•days'  rations.  We  had  had  a  heavy  thunder  storm  the  previous  day 
and  night,  and  although  the  sky  was  still  clouded,  the  air  was  close 
and  sultry. 

Sickness  had  thinned  our  ranks  and  considerably  weakened  most 
of  those  still  on  duty.  *  *  *  For  my  own  part,  though  not 
decidedly  sick,  I  had  been  rather  unfit  for  nearly  two  weeks,  and 
when  it  came  to  the  double  quick,  I  found  it  very  hard  work  to  keep 
up.  Under  almost  any  other  circumstances  I  should  have  sunk  by 
the  wayside;  but,  by  throwing  away  my  haversack  and  making  extra 
ordinary  exertions,  I  kept  my  place  at  the  head  of  my  company. 
Quite  a  number  in  the  regiment  fell  out  of  ranks,  unable  to  keep  it 
up;  but  on  the  regiment  pressed  toward  the  awful  roar  of  fire  arms, 
growing  closer  and  louder  every  moment. 

After  making  two  and  a  half  miles  on  the  railroad,  we  obliqued 
across  some  fields  to  the  left  and  struck  the  Williamsburg  and  Rich 
mond  turnpike,  near  the  point  known  as  'Seven  Pines.'  Here  we 
met  a  stream  of  men  going  back — some  wounded — but  most  flying  in 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  97 

panic.  We  kept  our  way  along  the  turnpike  amid  a  perfect  shower 
of  solid  shot  and  shell  from  the  enemy's  batteries,  that  enfiladed 
the  road  and  its  immediate  vicinity.  This  severe  cannonade  increased 
the  haste  and  confusion  of  the  fugitives,  and  gave  us  a  foretaste  of 
what  was  before  us. 

On  we  pressed,  led  and  cheered  by  General  Jameson,  who  appeared 
unconscious  of  danger  from  the  shells  bursting  on  all  sides.  We 
double-quicked  over  a  mile  through  this  rainstorm,  meeting  now  and 
then  a  piece  of  artillery  or  caisson  in  full  retreat — having  probably 
run  out  of  ammunition,  and  fearful  of  being  captured.  It  was  to  turn 
back  this  tide  of  battle  that  we  were  pushing  forward. 

Part  of  Berry's  Brigade  of  our  division  had  preceded  us  a  little 
way,  and  were  already  engaged  in  what  seemed  an  unequal  conflict 
with  superior  numbers.  Casey's  Division — the  first  attacked — had 
by  this  time,  all  fallen  far  to  the  rear  and  were  effectually  hors  du 
combat.  At  length  we  reached  the  point  where  the  rifle  balls  of  the 
enemy  began  to  mingle  with  their  heavier  shot.  We  halted  a  moment 
to  allow  the  left  of  the  regiment  to  close  up.  Then  up  again  and 
forward.  For  some  distance  back  there  had  been  woods  on  both 
sides;  but  we  had  now  reached  a  point  where  Casey  had  felled  the 
timber  on  both  sides,  to  form  an  'abattis.'  Just  beyond  were  the 
large  open  fields  where  his  camps  had  been,  and  where  his  deserted 
tents  were  still  standing.  Here  was  the  enemy's  line  of  battle. 

Our  regiment  was  deployed  on  the  left  of  the  road — the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers  and  Eighty-seventh  New 
York  (of  our  brigade)  on  the  right.  We  deployed  just  behind  the 
'slash'  or  abattis,  and  had  then  to  march  over  it,  or  crawl  through  it 
in  line  of  battle,  to  reach  the  front.  Just  as  Company  F  were  filing 
into  line,  General  Jameson  cried  out,  'Captain  Reid,  go  in  there  and 
don't  come  out  until  you  have  driven  every  rebel  out  of  that 
brush!'  As  soon  as  the  line  was  formed,  we  advanced  through  the 
slash,  our  line  resting  on  the  road.  This  advance  was  very  difficult, 
owing  to  the  felled  and  tangled  timber.  And  all  the  while  bullets 
and  shells  were  flying  like  hail,  over  and  among  us,  coming  from  an 
enemy  as  yet  unseen. 

A  few  rods  further  was  a  belt  of  sapling  pines  and  oaks,  on  the 
left  of  the  road,  not  yet  felled.  Passing  a  few  rods  through  this 
brought  us  to  the  front  where,  just  at  the  edge  of  the  saplings,  a. 
slender  line  of  Berry's  Brigade  was  trying  to  hold  its  ground 
against  a  host  of  rebels  hid  in  a  strip  of  brush  and  fallen  timber, 
close  in  front  of  them  concealed  behind  Casey's  tents  a  little  further 
beyond,  and  protected  by  three  houses,  a  long  row  of  cord-wood,  and 
a  line  of  Casey's  rifle-pits,  still  beyond,  where  they  had  captured  two 
of  our  batteries  and  were  now  turning  our  own  guns  against  us 


98  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

with  terrible  effect.  Here,  just  in  the  edge  of  the  saplings,  we 
halted  and  opened  fire. 

The  crash  and  roar  was  grand.  Berry's  men  were  cheered  up, 
and  the  rebels  appalled  by  the  intensity  of  our  steady  and  rapid 
fire.  But  the  firing  both  ways  was  intense.  Our  line  was  already 
strewn  with  dead  and  wounded.  Almost  at  the  first  fire,  Sergeant 
Elgin  of  my  company,  a  splendid  soldier,  fell  at  my  side,  dead.  A 
little  further  along  the  line,  to  the  right,  Orderly  Sergeant  Delo  was 
a  few  moments  afterwards  killed.  Then  Private  Rhees  fell  near  the 
former.  Now  and  then,  too,  one  of  my  men  would  walk  or  be  carried, 
wounded,  to  the  rear. 

We  soon  discovered  that  the  most  deadly  fire  came  from  the 
swampy-brush-wood  and  fallen  timber  close  by  us.  We  could  see 
the  smoke  of  the  rifles  among  the  brush,  and  by  watching  sharply, 
could  distinguish  a  head  or  an  arm  half  hidden.  It  was  evident  that 
the  patch  of  brush  was  full  of  rebels,  and  we  soon  turned  our  atten 
tion  chiefly  in  that  direction.  A  Michigan  man  close  by  me  fell  dead, 
just  as  he  had  loaded  his  piece.  I  thought  I  saw  where  the  shot 
came  from,  and  seized  his  loaded  gun  in  time  to  level  it  at  a  crouch 
ing  rebel  there,  who  seemed  about  to  fire  again.  He  was,  not  thirty 
yards  from  me.  There  appeared  to  be  a  race  between  us;  but  I  shot 
first,  and  the  rebel  rolled  over  backwards  in  the  swamp,  and  troubled 
us  no  more.  Under  the  circumstances,  I  had  no  compunction  about 
it.  I  took  the  balance  of  the  dead  man's  cartridges  and  used  his  gun 
the  rest  of  the  evening. 

That  spot  soon  became  too  hot  for  its  occupants,  and  a  few  tried 
to  fall  back  from  it,  but  as  they  had  a  piece  of  open  field  to  pass,  in 
order  to  reach  a  safer  shelter,  scarcely  one  escaped  alive.  I  was  there 
two  days  afterwards,  and  although  the  rebels  had  buried  great  num 
bers  of  their  dead  Saturday  night  and  Sunday,  I  found  that  little 
piece  of  brushy  swamp  and  abattis  literally  filled  with  rebel  dead. 
The  scene  was  a  sad  one  after  the  excitement  of  the  battle  was  over. 

Middling  early  in  the  fight,  our  Lieutenant  Colonel  was  wounded 
and  carried  off  the  field.  Thus  left  without  any  field  officer,  we 
fought  on,  keeping  OUT  ground,  unsupported  by  artillery  and  rein 
forcements,  although  the  enemy  had  both.  We  could  plainly  see 
fresh  regiments  brought  up  and  deployed  in  line,  strengthening  and 
relieving  the  others,  thinned  "by  our  fire.  Two  or  three  times  they 
appeared  formed,  as  for  a  charge,  but  they  did  not  attempt  it  where 
we  were.  They  did,  however,  charge  on  the  extreme  right  of  our 
brigade,  and  by  overwhelming  pressure,  compelled  it  to  give  way. 

The  enemy  followed  up  their  advantage  with  great  vigor  and 
before  sundown  they  had  succeeded  in  flanking  us  so  far  on  that 
side,  that  they  had  possession  of  the  turnpike  behind  us.  Then  it 
was  that  Colonel  Campbell  coming  up  with  his  regiment  (the  Fifty- 
seventh  Pennsylvania  of  our  brigade)  and  our  own  Colonel  Hays  with 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  99 

Companies  I  and  K,  made  such  splendid  efforts  to  turn  back  the 
advancing  wave.  Colonel  Hays  rapidly  gathered  up  about  half  a 
regiment  of  straggling  fugitives,  rallied  them  for  a  stand,  and  form 
ing  them  about  his  own  companies,  led  them  to  the  charge,  supported 
by  the  Fifty-seventh.  Both  colonels  and  both  regiments  did  gallantly 
and  checked  the  enemy  for  awhile,  but  being  reinforced,  the  latter 
advanced  again  with  unbroken  front  and  Colonel  Hays'  miscellane 
ous  recruits  gave  way,  leaving  only  Companies  I  and  K  to  breast  the 
wave.  He  reluctantly  withdrew  from  the  unequal  contest,  as  did  also 
the  Fifty-seventh. 

It  was  sundown  and  General  Jameson  had  given  the  order  for  our 
whole  brigade  to  fall  back  to  an  entrenched  position,  on  the  turnpike 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  rear,  having,  the  advantages  of  wide, 
open  fields  in  front  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  where  our  batteries 
would  have  a  good  range  to  guard  against  a  night  attack.  Some 
how  or  other,  I  believe  from  the  cowardice  or  other  default  of  our 
courier  charged  with  the  delivery  of  the  order,  it  never  reached  us, 
and  after  the  other  regiments  of  the  brigade  had  gone  safely  back, 
and  the  enemy  had  followed  them  a  considerable  distance  along  the 
turnpike  behind  us,  we  still  held  our  position  on  the  left  of  the  road 
in  the  very  front  of  where  the  hottest  of  the  battle  had  been. 

I  knew  well,  from  the  direction  of  the  firing  on  our  right,  that  the 
enemy  had  succeeded  in  flanking  us  on  that  side,  and  there  was 
still  light  enough  to  see  fresh  regiments  beyond  the  houses  moving 
toward  our  left.  Our  men  had  shot  away  all  their  ammunition, 
except  perhaps  one  or  two  cartridges  apiece,  and  had  emptied 
besides,  the  cartridge  boxes  of  our  dead  and  wounded.  Captain  Kirk- 
wood,  of  Company  B,  succeeding  to  the  command  as  senior  captain, 
asked  my  advice  as  to  what  he  should  do.  I  told  him  we  had  done 
all  we  could  for  that  day;  that  under  the  circumstances  to  remain 
there  longer  was  to  expose  what  was  left  of  the  regiment  to  be 
sacrificed  or  captured  as  in  a  few  minutes  the  only  avenue  of  escape 
left  us  would  be  cut  off.  We  had  sent  back  all  our  wounded  that 
we  could  find;  the  dead  we  could  not  possibly  take  with  us  through 
the  slash  and  swamps  we  would  have  to  cross. 

Accordingly  the  captain  gave  the  order  to  fall  back  slowly,  just 
as  it  was  growing  dark.  After  I  had  seen  that  we  had  left  none 
of  our  men  behind  and  could  get  no  further  answer  to  my  calls  than 
the  whiz  of  bullets  that  still  came  flying  from  the  rifle-pits  behind 
the  houses,  we  turned  our  men  into  a  by-path  that  diverged  consider 
ably  from  the  main  road,  which  was  held  by  the  enemy  in  force,  and 
from  which  they  greeted  us  with  random  and  harmless  volleys.  A 
little  further  on  I  was  struck  by  a  spent  fragment  of  a  shell,  causing 
a  slight  smart  for  a  few  minutes,  but  without  breaking  the  skin. 
That  was  the  only  time  I  was  even  touched  that  day  by  any  of  the 
enemy's  missiles.  I  never  can  be  sufficiently  thankful  to  Almighty 
God  for  my  preservation  from  the  showers  of  bullets  that  whistled 


100  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

close  by  me;  it  seemed  almost  incredible  that  I  was  not  touched.  I 
walked  through  that  belt  of  little  pines  on  Monday  after  the  battle 
and  it  astonished  even  me  to  see  how  almost  every  sapling  of  two  or 
three  inches  thickness  was  spotted  all  over  with  bullet  marks,  from 
the  ground  up  to  the  height  of  a  man's  head.  It  may  be  my  lot  to 
be  in  many  another  battle,  but  I  do  not  believe  I  can  ever  be  placed 
in  a  situation  of  greater  apparent  danger. 

***** 

We  succeeded  in  rejoining  our  brigade  at  about  10  o'clock  that 
night.  We  found  them  on  the  east  side  of  a  large  tract  of  about  a 
mile  square,  on  both  sides  of  the  turnpike,  collected  and  disposed  in 
order  of  battle — protected  in  part  by  earthworks,  commenced  by  Gen 
erals  Casey  and  Couch  on-their  first  advance,  and  which  our  generals 
were  now  busy  extending  and  strengthening  to  be  ready  for  emer 
gencies. 

Striking  across  the  opening,  we  found  some  of  Hooker's  division 
which  had  arrived  from  the  left  and  rear  just  as  the  firing  had 
ceased.  They  were  fresh  for  the  work  in  the  morning.  Inquiring  as 
we  went  along  the  lines,  we  found  that  Kearney  and  Jameson  were 
in  the  edge  of  the  woods  on  the  north  side  of  the  turnpike.  *  *  * 
General  Jameson  was  overjoyed  to  see  so  many  of  the  Sixty-third 
safe,  and  returning  in  a  body  in  good  order.  He  led  us  to  Kearney's 
headquarters,  where  we  found  Colonel  Hays  and  Companies  I  and  K. 
Here  we  got  some  crackers  and  hot  coffee  and  rested  on  our  arms 
until  morning.  Here,  too,  we  learned  that  besides  Hooker,  who  came 
from  the  left,  Richardson's  and  Sedgwick's  divisions  of  Sumner's 
Corps,  had  arrived  from  the  other  side  of  the  Chickahominy  on  our 
right,  just  in  time  to  give  and  take,  before  dark,  a  volley  or  two 
with  the  left  wing  of  the  Rebel  Army,  which  was  moving  down  on 
the  north  side  of  the  railroad  expecting  to  cut  off  our  retreat.  So 
the  prospect  for  the  morning's  work  was  much  more  agreeable  than 
it  would  have  been  in  the  absence  of  such  comfortable  reinforce-1 
ments. 

*  *      *      Sunday    morning    the    rebels    advanced    boldly    to    the 
attack,    coming  up   to   the   edge    of  the   woods   in   front   of   us,    but 
Hooker's  division  on  the  turnpike  and  Sumner's  troops  on  the  rail 
road — our  brigade  being  held  as  a  'reserve' — met  and  routed  them 
in  a  couple  of  hours'  fighting,  without  any  need  of  our  help. 

Ever  since  we  have  been  kept  in  position,  changing  only  by  advanc 
ing,  ready  for  battle  at  any  moment.  There  has  been  some  skirmish 
ing  since,  between  the  pickets,  and  an  occasional  cannonade  from  one 
or  both  sides,  but  nothing  more  as  yet.  I  think,  however,  the  great 
Battle  of  Richmond  will  be  fought  this  week,  if  it  is  to  be  fought  at 
all. 

*  *       *       our     regiment     lost     twenty-one     killed,     eighty-one 
wounded,  and  seventeen  missing.      *      *      *" 


CHAPTER  V. 

(From  May  31,  1862,  to  June  30,  1862.) 


BATTLE  OF  GAINES'  MILL— EVACUATION  OF  SAVAGE  STATION  AND  DES 
TRUCTION  OF  SUPPLIES— BATTLE  OF  NELSON'S  FARM  OR  GLEN- 
DALE—BATTLE  OF  MALVERN  HILL. 


"There  are  bonds  of  all  sorts  in  this  world  of  ours, 
Fetters  of  friendship  and  ties  of  flowers 

And  true  lovers'   knots,  I  ween; 
The  girl  and  the  boy  are  bound  by  a  kiss, 
But  there's  never  a  bond,  old  friend  like  this — 

We  have  drunk  from  the  same  canteen! 

It  was  sometimes  water  and  sometimes  milk 
And  sometimes  apple-jack,  fine  as  silk; 

But,  whatever  the  tipple  has  been, 
We  shared  it  together  in  bane  or  bliss; 
And  I  warm  to  you  friend,  when  I  think  of  this — 

We  have  drunk  from  the  same  canteen! 

The  rich  and  the  great  sit  down  to  dine 

And  they  quaff  to  each  other  in  sparkling  wine, 

From  glasses  of  crystal  and  green; 
But  I  guess  in  their  golden  potations  they  miss 
The  warmth  of  regard  to  be  found  in  this — 

We  have  drunk  from  the  same  canteen! 

We  have  shared  our  blankets  and  tents  together, 
We  have  marched  and  fought  in  all  kinds  of  weather 

And  hungry  and  full  we  have  toeen; 
Had  days  of  battle  and  days  of  rest, 
But  this  memory  I  cling  to  and  love  the  best — 

We  have  drunk  from  the  same  canteen! 

For  when  wounded  I  lay  on  the  outer  slope 
With  my  blood  flowing  fast,  and  but  little  hope 

Upon  which  my  faint  spirit  could  lean — 
Oh!  then  I  remember  you  crawled  to  my  side 
And,  bleeding  so  fast  it  seemed  both  must  have  died, 

We  drank  from  the  same  canteen!" 

— Charles  G.   Halpine. 

HE  wounded  were  taken  back  to  Savage  Station  where 
their  wounds  were  dressed,  and  from  there  were  taken  by 
cars  to  White  House  Landing,  and  in  a  short  time  transferred 


T 


102  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

by  steamers  to  Fortress  Monroe  and  Northern  cities.  The 
scenes  that,  night  about  Savage  Station  will  never  be  for 
gotten.  The  doctors  were  kept  busy  all  night  dressing  wounds 
and  cutting  off  shattered  limbs,  while  the  ground  was  com 
pletely  saturated  with  blood. 

When  darkness  had  put  an  end  to  the  fighting  at  the 
Battle  of  Fair  Oaks  and  our  bruised  and  battered  regiment 
had  withdrawn  from  the  field,  we  then  learned  how  severe  our 
loss  had  been  during  the  conflict.  There  is  nothing  in  the 
world  so  strikingly  sad  as  the  calling  of  the  roll  after  a  battle ; 
it  is  then  we  learn  how  many  of  our  comrades  have  answered 
their  last  roll  call  and  have  gone  to  join  the  great  majority. 

"There  they  stood  in  the  fading  light, 
Those  men  of  battle,  with  stern,  grave  looks, 
As  plain  to  be  read  as  open  books, 
While  darkly  gathered  the  shades  of  night. 

It  was  called  a  victory,  but  it  cost  us  dear, 
For  of  a  hundred  men  who  went  into  the  fight, 
When  the  company  roll  was  called  that  night 
There  were  only  twenty  who  answered  'HERE!'  ' 

Savage  Station  was  one  mile  in  the  rear  of  the  battlefield 
and  had  been  made  a  general  hospital  where  all  the  wounded 
were  taken  for  treatment.  Ambulances  were  coming  in  from 
all  parts  of  the  battlefield,  laden  with  wounded  men,  torn  and 
bleeding  from  shot,  shell  and  bullets,  and  it  was  a  sickening 
sight.  Many  poor  fellows  had  died  while  being  carried  from 
the  field  to  where  doctors  were  attending  to  the  injured,  and 
many  died  while  under  the  doctor's  hands,  and  soon  a  long 
row  of  ghastly  corpses  was  lying  on  the  ground  in  the  rear 
of  the  building.  Charles  Adams,  of  Braddock,  a  noble  young 
man,  met  a  sad  fate.  Later  he  was  made  prisoner  and  taken 
to  Andersonville  where,  in  that  hell  of  misery,  he  starved  to 
death. 

All  night  long  we  labored  at  our  disagreeable  task,  carrying 
the  wounded  from  the  ambulances  to  the  surgeons,  and  the 
sights  witnessed  that  night  were  simply  horrible.  The  groans 
and  screams  of  the  poor  fellows,  while  under  the  surgeon's 
knife,  were  heartrending,  and  soon  a  large  heap  of  several 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  103 

arms,  hands,  feet  and  legs  attested  that  the  work  of  amputa 
tion  was  in  rapid  progress. 

We  returned  to  our  regiment  the  next  morning,  in  time 
to  help  with  the  Sunday  morning's  fight.  Both  sides  claimed 
the  victory,  but  it  was  evident  that  our  army  had  the  best  of 
it.  The  rebels  had  their  entire  army,  while  ours  was  broken 
in  two  by  the  raging  Chickahominy,  which  had  cut  off  our 
left  from  the  rest  of  the  army  and  they,  knowing  our  condi 
tion,  had  made  a  desperate  advance,  feeling  certain  they  could 
annihilate  our  left  wing  or  drive  it  back  into  the  turbulent 
river,  but  they  utterly  failed  and  at  the  close  of  the  fight  we 
were  masters  of  the  situation,  the  enemy  having  been  driven 
back  along  the  entire  front.  The  enemy  had  taken  many 
prisoners  and  a  number  of  cannon  from  General  Casey's  divis 
ion,  besides  a  large  quantity  of  stores.  These  were  hurried 
back  to  Richmond  on  Saturday  night  as  trophies  of  the  fight. 
The  few  days  following,  the  battlefield  presented  a  horrible 
spectacle;  about  four  hundred  dead  horses  lay  strewn  over 
the  field,  and  in  that  hot  climate  decomposition  was  rapid,  and 
a  most  terrible  stench  assailed  our  nostrils;  most  of  the  car 
casses  were  burned. 

On  Monday,  June  2nd,  we  lay  on  the  edge  of  the  battle 
field  and  nothing  of  any  moment  occurred.  The  burial  details 
were  busily  engaged  in  placing  the  dead  beneath  the  ground, 
and  in  many  instances  the  bodies  had  so  far  decomposed  that 
they  were  not  buried,  but  the  earth  simply  piled  over  them. 
In  other  instances,  long  trenches  were  dug  and  the  dead 
placed  in  them  side  by  side,  and  covered  with  earth. 

On  Tuesday,  June  3rd,  about  noon,  word  came  that  the 
enemy  was  driving  in  our  pickets  on  the  left.  We  hurriedly 
fell  into  line  and  moved  a  mile  or  two  down  the  railroad,  when 
the  order  was  countermanded  and  we  marched  back  and  were 
placed  to  support  an  eight-gun  battery. 

Of  course,  just  after  a  battle  there  is  considerable  excite 
ment  and  it  takes  some  time  for  the  army  to  get  settled  down 
in  the  old  routine  again,  and  there  are  always  wild  rumors 


104  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

flying  around ;  no  one  can  trace  them  to  their  starting  point, 
but  they  are  for  the  time,  generally  believed. 

On  Wednesday,  June  4th,  while  we  lay  in  camp,  a  terrible 
thunder-storm  passed  over,  and  for  awhile  the  volleys  of 
thunder  were  frightful.  It  was  at  this  time  that  \ve  noticed 
something  that  was  decidedly  curious,  smd  which  showed  the 
instinct  of  dumb  animals  and  how  they  remember  their  train 
ing.  The  peals  of  thunder  were  not  of  the  long,  rolling  kind 
we  are  used  to  in  the  hilly  country,  but  were  short  and  sharp, 
like  the  firing  of  heavy  cannon.  Near  our  camp  was  a  battery 
belonging  to  a  Rhod?  Island  Regiment.  The  horses  had  been 
taken  some  distance  from  the  guns  and  turned  into  a  green 
plot  to  eat  grass.  All  at  once  the  heavy  crashes  of  thunder 
broke  over  us,  and  at  the  first  explosion  the  horses  raised 
their  hea^ls  and  at  the  next  instant  broke  into  a  gallop  and 
rushed  to  the  guns,  where  they  ranged  themselves  in  their 
usual  positions  in  the  rear  of  them,  evidently  taking  the  peals 
of  thunder  for  artillery  firing.  This  may  seem  a  little  highly 
drawn,  but  it  is  an  actual  fact,  and  hundreds  of  the  soldiers 
can  testify  to  the  truth  of  it.  The  next  day,  Thursday,  the 
5th,  about  10  o'clock,  heavy  cannonading  was  heard  on  our 
right.  It  was  General  Porter's  division  shelling  the  woods  on 
his  advance,  but  we  did  not  know  what  it  was  then,  and 
believed  it  was  the  opening  of  another  battle,  and  expected 
soon  to  be  called  to  move  in  that  direction. 

A  rather  laughable  affair  occurred  at  this  time ;  it  was  one 
of  Colonel  Hays'  peculiar  expressions.  If  seemed  that  a  num 
ber  of  the  officers  of  the  regiment  were  sick  at  the  time; 
whether  it  was  real  or  what  the  boys  called  "bullet  sickness," 
was  known  only  to  themselves,  but  at  any  rate,  a  number 
of  them  reported  to  the  colonel  as  unfit  for  duty  and  retired 
to  the  rear.  The  colonel  was  sitting  under  a  tent  fly,  in  a  bad 
humor.  Every  now  and  then  an  officer  would  come  to  him, 
report  sick,  and  ask  permission  to  go  to  the  rear.  The  colonel 
stood  it  for  some  time,  but  his  face  kept  getting  redder  and 
redder,  and  his  eyes  began  to  have  a  steely  glare.  At  last  a 
lieutenant  came  up  and  said  : 


CAPTAIN 
J.M.G.BERRIN6ER 
COMPANY  A. 


ADJUTANT 
R.HOYVARD  MILLAR 


CAPTAIN 

R.A.NESB1T. 

COMPANY  B, 


CAPTAIN 

WILLIAM  P.HUNKER 

COMPANY    A. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  105 

"Colonel,  I  am  feeling  sick,  can  I  go  to  the  rear?" 
The  colonel  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  in  that  cutting  tone  of 
voice  which  only  Hays  could  assume,  shouted : 

"There  are  two  roads  leading  from  this  camp,  one  to  Rich 
mond  and  one  to  the  hospital;  the  privates  and  I  are  going 
to  Richmond,  and  every  d — d  officer  is  taking  the  road  to  the 
hospital." 

The  lieutenant  did  not  wait  to  hear  any  more,  but  quickly 
returned  to  his  quarters,  and  there  were  no  more  requests  to 
go  to  the  hospital  that  day.  Colonel  Hays  was  a  most  kind- 
hearted  and  patient  man  with  a  private  soldier,  but  an  officer 
who  was  inclined  to  shirk  his  duty  received  no  mercy  at  his 
hands ;  that  was  the  great  reason  why  the  privates  all  loved 
him  so  dearly.  Another  instance  of  his  kindness  is  recalled.  It 
was  at  the  Second  Battle  of  Bull  Run.  One  of  the  boys  was 
shot  in  the  leg  and  was  in  danger  of  bleeding  to  death,  as  the 
hospital  steward  with  the  field  knapsack  was  in  another  part 
of  the  field.  Colonel  Hays  rode  by  and  asked  what  was 
needed.  One  of  the  men  in  charge  told  the  colonel  that  they 
had  no  linen  or  cotton  bandages  and  could  not  stop  the  bleed 
ing.  Instantly  the  colonel's  coat  and  vest  were  off;  next  he 
pulled  his  muslin  shirt  over  his  head  and  tossing  it  to  the 
men,  said :  "There,  make  bandages  out  of  that  as  far  as  it  will 
go,"  and  then  galloped  away  to  another  part  of  the  field.  In 
the  evening  we  learned  that  General  Porter  had  advanced  a 
considerable  distance  on  our  right  and  found  no  enemy.  Some 
of  us  began  to  think  that  the  rebels  had  retreated,  leaving 
the  way  clear  for  us  to  Richmond,  and  we  began  to  speculate 
how  long  it  would  be  before  we  would  reach  the  rebel  capitol. 
Dave  Ludwick,  of  Company  A,  had,  by  some  means,  become 
the  owner  of  a  fine  white  shirt  of  which  he  was  quite  proud. 
One  day  he  washed  it  carefully,  and  after  it  was  dry,  he 
packed  it  in  his  knapsack,  saying:  "There,  I  wron't  wear  that 
until  we  get  to  Richmond."  Poor  Dave,  he  never  wore  his 
handsome  shirt  again  as  he  fell  in  battle  on  the  3Oth  of  June 
at  Nelson's  Farm. 

The    next    day    we    moved    forward    a    short    distance    and 


106  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

encamped  in  one  of  the  worst  places  we  had  yet  seen,  a  large, 
swampy  field  close  to  the  rebel  lines.  The  day  was  dark  and 
gloomy  and  the  rain  continued  to  fall  in  heavy  showers. 
Every  now  and  then  we  would  receive  an  unwelcome  visitor 
in  the  shape  of  a  rebel  shell  which  would  fall  unpleasantly 
near  us.  As  evening  came  on,  the  guards  were  doubled  and 
we  received  orders  to  be  particularly  vigilant.  Colonel  Hays 
appeared  to  be  on  the  lookout  for  something,  and  we  heard 
him  remark  to  Captain  Kirkwood,  "If  the  enemy  attacks  us 
tonight,  we  are  in  bad  shape  to  meet  him."  Our  regiment 
had  been  pushed  out  in  front  and  we  had  no  supports  near 
us.  As  a  large  part  of  the  army  was  back  by  the  Chicka- 
hominy,  this  remark  of  the  colonel  did  not  cause  us  to  sleep 
very  quietly  thereafter.  The  colonel  never  went  to  his  bed 
that  night,  but  continued  to  go  around  among  the  sentries  to 
see  that  they  were  on  the  alert.  For  some  reason  the  rebs 
did  not  molest  us  during  the  night,  and  we  were  all  glad 
that  they  had  forborne  to  do  so. 

Morning  broke,  bright  and  clear,  and  we  moved  to  another 
camp  much  more  pleasantly  situated,  where  we  lay  the  next 
three  days,  during  which  time  several  of  us  obtained  permis 
sion  to  visit  our  comrades  who  wrere  lying  sick  in  the  hos 
pital,  and  will  never  forget  the  sad  sights  there.  The  hos 
pitals  were  crowded,  and  hundreds  of  poor  fellows  in  the 
wild  delirium  of  fever,  were  tossing  about,  many  of  them  in 
the  last  stages  of  disease.  When  a  comrade  visited  one  poor 
fellow,  Harry  Shaffer  of  near  Turtle  Creek,  he  was  still  con 
scious,  and  he  asked  his  friend  to  write  to  his  father.  Having 
no  paper,  the  comrade  tore  a  few  leaves  out  of  his  diary,  and 
sitting  down  beside  him,  began  to  write.  Before  he  had 
written  more  than  a  dozen  lines,  the  fever  increased  to  such  an 
extent  that  Schaffer  became  delirous,  and  the  letter  was 
brought  to  a  close,  and  in  a  short  time  he  was  dead.  He  was  a 
bright,  cheerful  young  man,  and  a  good  soldier,  but  fell  a 
victim,  as  did  hundreds  of  his  companions,  to  the  deadly  fever 
in  the  pestilential  swamps  of  the  Chickahominy,  and  his 
remains  repose  in  an  unknown  grave  in  the  gloomy  swamp, 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  107 

far  from  home  and  friends,  where  no  one  can  drop  a  tear  over 
his  obscure  resting  place  or  deck  his  grave  with  flowers  on 
Memorial  Day.  We  have  read  of  great  heroes  of  the  past, 
but  there  were  as  great  heroes  of  whom  the  world  never  heard, 
who  wore  the  simple  blue  blouse  of  the  private  soldier,  as  were 
ever  sung  by  minstrel  or  revered  by  hero  worshipers.  They 
gave  to  their  country  all  they  had, — their  lives,  and  may 
Heaven  hide  the  day  when  their  sacrifices,  sufferings  and 
death  will  be  forgotten  by  the  land  they  helped  to  save. 

Friday,  June  I3th,  was  a  remarkably  hot  day.  On  this  day 
Chaplain  Marks  took  several  of  us  along  to  White  House 
Landing  to  see  to  some  of  our  wounded,  and  to  assist  him  in 
bringing  up  some  hospital  supplies.  We  found  a  number  of 
our  regiment  there,  and  while  Chaplain  Marks  went  on  board 
one  of  the  vessels  and  remained  there  during  the  night,  the 
rest  of  us  encamped  with  our  boys,  who  were  acting  as  nurses 
at  the  time.  Some  time  during  the  forepart  of  the  night  we 
were  all  aroused  by  a  number  of  cannon  shots  and  firing  of 
musketry,  and  a  flying  rumor  came  in  that  the  rebels  had  cap 
tured  Tunstall's  Station  of  the  York  River  &  Richmond  Rail 
road,  and  had  also  attacked  our  troops  at  different  points 
along  the  line.  Instantly  all  was  confusion ;  signal  lights  were 
flashing  among  the  large  number  of  vessels  lying  at  anchor 
at  White  House  Landing,  and  they  all  began  to  drop  down  the 
stream  to  get  out  of  danger.  They  were  all  loaded  with  army 
supplies,  sutler's  stores,  and  many  other  things,  and  would 
have  been  a  rich  haul  had  the  Johnnies  captured  them.  All 
night  long  the  alarm  was  kept  up  and  all  kinds  of  rumors 
were  afloat.  It  was  the  celebrated  raid  of  General  Stuart,  the 
dashing  Confederate  General,  whose  bravery  only  equalled 
his  rashness  and  daring.  With  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
men,  as  wild  and  daring  as  the  celebrated  Moss  troopers 
described  in  the  "Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel,"  he  swept  around 
our  entire  rear  that  night.  A  body  of  our  men  were  on  guard 
at  Tunstall's  Staiton  when  Stuart  swooped  down  on  them 
and  captured  the  entire  lot. 

A    train    containing    a    number    of-  officers,    also    sick    and 


108  UNDEPw    THE    RED    PATCH 

wounded  men,  came  along.  The  engineer  saw  that  the  place 
was  in  possession  of  the  rebels,  and  putting  on  all  steam, 
dashed  past,  though  hundreds  of  bullets  whistled  by  him.  He 
was  struck,  but  kept  his  hand  on  the  throttle  until  he  was 
out  of  danger. 

The  train  came  to  White  House  and  it  was  then  known 
that  the  enemy  was  close  by,  but  the  object  of  his  presence 
was  not  yet  understood.  The  scene  about  the  landing  was 
exciting  as  well  as  ludicrous ;  there  were  hundreds  of  negroes 
about  the  place,  most  of  whom  were  runaways  and  had  left 
their  masters  when  our  army  came  along,  and  when  they 
learned  that  the  Confederates  were  likely  to  arrive,  they 
were  scared  clean  through  and  through.  They  ran  to  the 
miserable  shanties  where  they  had  taken  up  their  abode, 
gathered  up  their  little  belongings  into  bundles,  then,  not 
knowing  what  to  do  or  where  to  go,  they  filled  the  air  with 
dismal  groans,  and  while  some  prayed  loudly  and  fervently, 
others,  too  badly  scared  to  pray,  uttered  wild  and  incoherent 
ejaculations,  and  on  all  sides  could  be  heard,  'Lawd,  save  us 
po'  sinners,"  "Oh,  de  good  Lawd  look  down  an'  help  us,"  etc. 
The  sutlers  also  had  a  first-class  scare  on  and  packed  up  their 
goods,  which  they  had  on  display  in  some  large  tents,  and 
hastened  with  them  on  board  the  vessels. 

When  Stuart  found  himself  foiled  in  his  attempt  to  capture 
the  train,  he  gathered  up  what  horses,  arms,  and  supplies  he 
could  find  in  the  neighborhood  of  Tunstall,  and  swung  around 
toward  the  left  and  stopped  at  Baltimore  Cross  Roads. 

One  of  our  hospitals  was  at  this  place,  and  General  Stuart 
and  his  chief  surgeon  paid  it  a  visit,  behaving  most  humanely, 
not  allowing  any  of  their  men  to  enter  the  hospital,  saying  it 
would  alarm  the  sick.  The  rebel  surgeon  borrowed  what 
quinine  and  other  medicine  our  doctor  had,  and  which  he  was 
compelled  to  lend  him,  as  well  as  some  surgical  instruments. 

From  this,  Stuart  and  his  raiders  went  on,  passing  entirely 
around  the  left  of  the  army,  gathering  up  horses  and  wagons, 
and  taking  prisoners  many  of  our  soldiers  that  were  in  their 
way,  and  with  all  these  spoils,  returned  safely  to  the  rebel 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  109 

capitol.  This  was  a  severe  blow,  not  only  to  our  army,  but 
when  the  news  of  the  raid  reached  Washington,  it  caused 
great  consternation.  Those  who  were  unfriendly  to  the  North 
were  jubilant,  saying  that  the  war, was  a  failure  and  it  was 
all  nonsense  for  the  North  to  think  that  it  could  conquer  the 
South ;  that  when  one  rebel  general  with  only  one  corps  could 
pass  entirely  around  the  great  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  after 
capturing  supplies  and  prisoners,  then  ride  unscathed  into 
Richmond,  it  was  very  evident  that  the  war  was  a  failure. 
To  the  loyal  party  it  was  a  shock,  and  a  deep  disgrace.  Our 
head  officers  came  in  for  their  share  of  abuse  and  were  ^greatly 
blamed,  but  to  the  authorities  at  the  rebel  capitol  it  was  a 
source  of  great  rejoicing,  and  the  Richmond  papers  made 
great  fun  of  the  army  of  the  North  and  General  McClellan, 
advising  him  to  get  a  pen  made  for  his  army  or  General 
Stuart  might  come  down  some  night  and  bag  the  whole  con 
cern,  and  bring  it  into  Richmond  before  breakfast.  To  the 
soldiers  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  it  was  also  a  stunning 
blow,  but  it  only  made  the  men  more  determined  to  get  even 
with  the  rebels  and  pay  them  back  in  their  own  coin  with 
interest.  This  they  did,  but  it  wras  a  long  time  in  the  future. 
Things  were  growing  more  desperate,  and  every  day  showed 
that  a  crisis  was  approaching,  and  the  boys  were  glad  that  a 
time  was  coming  when  we  could  measure  our  strength  with 
the  enemy. 

On  Tuesday,  June  24th,  we  r~oved  to  a  long,  low  breast 
work  of  logs  about  200  yards  froi.i  our  former  camp.  On  this 
day  one  hundred  rounds  of  ammunition  were  issued  to  each 
man,  and  as  forty  rounds  was  the  regular  issue,  it  made  the 
boys  stare  when  they  received  such  an  immense  quantity  at 
once,  but  we  all  knew  what  it  meant. 

In  front  of  our  camp,  toward  the  enemy,  was  a  strip  of 
timber  land  heavily  covered  with  tall  pine  trees.  Orders  were 
issued  to  cut  these  down  and  make  a  slashing.  It  was  a  curi 
ous  sight  to  see  the  tall  pines  dropping  so  fast  with  crash 
following  crash,  and  in  a  very  short  time  the  woods  were  gone 
and  the  trees  were  lying  tangled  up  in  every  way,  affording  a 


110  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

splendid  place  for  men  against  an  advancing  enemy,  but  a 
miserable  place  to  charge  into  when  occupied  by  the  enemy. 

A  peculiar  bustle  was  observed  all  day  among  the  field 
officers,  and  orderlies  were  galloping  from  one  headquarters 
to  another,  so  when  we  lay  down  that  night  it  was  with  the 
settled  conviction  that  the  next  day  would  witness  some  stir 
ring  scene,  and  that  the  great  crisis  had  arrived  at  last.  The 
soldiers  were  all  glad  that  the  suspense  would  be  ended  and 
that  they  were  about  to  change  the  dreary  monotony  of  camp 
life  for  a  stirring  reality.  If  we  gained  the  victory  it  would 
be  a  glorious  change,  and  if  we  were  defeated  it  could  not  be 
worse  than  the  life  we  had  been  leading  among  the  pestilential 
swamps,  where  the  army  was  rapidly  melting  away  through 
sickness,  and  the  strong,  robust  men  who  had  so  proudly 
marched  from  Hampton  in  the  spring  on  their  way  "to  take 
Richmond,"  had  changed  to  sickly,  fever-stricken  skeletons, 
but  not  for  an  instant  did  any  of  us  cherish  a  doubt  that  we 
would  be  successful.  We  had  a  great  deal  to  learn  yet. 

On  this  day  a  man  appeared  in  our  camp  in  citizen's  clothes 
with  an  armful  of  sheet  music ;  it  was  a  song  entitled  "On  to 
Richmond ;"  the  words  were  very  patriotic,  and  the  boys  who 
had  money. bought  copies  to  sing  around  future  camp-fires. 
None  of  us  knew  then  that  this  man  was  a  noted  spy  who,  in 
.the  guise  of  a  song  seller,  had  worked  his  way  through  the 
camps  and  thus  learned  many  valuable  things  for  the  benefit 
of  the  Confederates.  It  was  said  he  belonged  to  Stonewall 
Jackson's  corps.  We  heard  later  on  that  he  had  been  cap 
tured  while  playing  the  spy  in  our  army,  and  given  a  hurried 
trip  out  of  the  world  on  the  end  of  a  rope. 

Wednesday  morning,  June  25th,  broke  bright  and  clear. 
The  bugle  call  aroused  the  men  as  soon  as  the  rays  of  the  sun 
began  to  gild  the  tree  tops,  and  in  a  short  time  all  was  bustle 
and  activity.  We  all  felt  that  before  the  sun  would  sink  to 
rest  some  stirring  scenes  would  be  enacted ;  between  us  and 
Richmond  lay  the  hosts  of  Lee,  Longstreet,  Huger,  Hill  and 
Magruder,  all  able  commanders,  who  would  fight  every  step 
of  the  way,  and  there  was  no  picnic  before  us. 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT.  Ill 

A  hasty  breakfast  of  hard  tack  and  black  coffee  was  quickly 
disposed  of,  guns  carefully  inspected  and  put  in  proper  condi 
tion,  cartridge  boxes  filled,  and  each  company  ^fell  into  place. 
The  regiment  was  formed  into  line,  and  soon  the  tramp,  tramp 
of  the  men  began  toward  where  the  enemy  was  waiting. 
There  is  no  more  impressive  sight  on  earth  than  the  steady 
march  of  men  going  forth  to  battle,  with  features  sternly  set 
and  a  resolve  to  do  or  die  written  plainly  on  their  faces,  and 
the  tight  grasp  of  the  faithful  rifle. 

Looking  at  these  men  of  "stern,  grave  look,"  one  failed  to 
see  a  sign  of  fear — that  kind  of  fear  that  causes  one  to  shirk 
his  duty ;  the  cowards  had  left  the  ranks  before  the  fight  began. 
We  passed  through  the  slashing,  and  beyond  it  was  a  wood. 
In  this  wood  we  met  some  rebel  pickets,  and  firing  at  once 
began,  the  enemy's  pickets  falling  back  as  we  advanced.  Pass 
ing  the  woods  we  came  to  a  swampy  field  covered  with  tall 
briers  and  huckleberry  bushes.  Our  skirmish  line  advanced 
until  it  reached  an  old  building  known  as  the  "Half-Way 
House,"  which  we  had  been  told  was  two  and  a  lialf  miles 
from  Richmond.  Beyond  this  was  a  road,  and  there  the  main 
body  of  the  enemy  lay.  Our  line  halted  and  formed  a  line  of 
battle.  The  fighting  was  of  desultory  nature ;  a  great  amount 
of  skirmishing  was  done,  and  every  now  and  then  the  firing 
was  desperate,  then  it  would  cease  for  a  time,  and  again  break* 
out  fiercely. 

Kearney's  and  Hooker's  divisions  were  engaged  in  the 
fiercest  part  of  the  fight.  Our  troops  pushed  forward  and 
kept  driving  the  enemy  steadily  back.  The  Union  loss  in  this 
fight  was  six  hundred  and  fifty.  Our  men  suffered  much  for 
water,  and  quite  a  number  of  our  regiment  were  wounded  and 
several  killed.  When  it  grew  dark,  the  enemy  massed  his 
force  on  our  right  and  made  a  fierce  attack,  crushing  that  por 
tion  of  the  line  and  throwing  it  back;  they  then  moved  back 
to  our  left,  but  nearer  to  us. 

About  this  time  our  line  retired,  leaving  the  Sixty-third  out  in 
front  with  the  enemy  in  front  and  on  both  flanks.  Our  pickets 
were  ordered  to  move  toward  the  left,  but  it  was  then  so  dark 


112  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

that  the  only  way  they  could  keep  in  line  was  by  following 
a  low  whistle  made  by  the  leader  and  repeated  by  each  one 
following.  Presently  they  became  involved  in  a  swamp,  and 
could  go  no  farther ;  there  we  lay  in  that  trying  situation,  dur 
ing  which  time  the  rebels  had  managed  to  throw  a  line  of 
pickets  in  our  rear  and  we  were  virtually  between  two  lines 
of  the  enemy. 

While  lying  in  that  perilous  position,  we  could  hear  the 
conversation  of  the  rebels  quite  plainly,  and  could  hear  them 
forming  their  lines  of  battle  preparatory  for  the  next  day's 
conflict.  Every  now  and  then  a  fierce  volley  would  crash  out 
in  front  of  us,  the  bullets  singing  and  whistling  over  our 
heads.  In  one  of  these  volleys  Lieutenant  Cochran,  of  Com 
pany  G,  was  killed. 

-  About  midnight,  Colonel  Hays  sent  an  orderly  to  General 
Kearney,  saying  that  the  Sixty-third  Regiment  was  alone  in 
front  of  the  enemy,  and  asking  him  if  he  expected  it  to  hold 
the  whole  rebel  army  in  check.  As  the  day  began  to  dawn 
and  we  could  begin  to  distinguish  our  surroundings,  in  the 
grey  light  of  the  early  morning  of  the  26th,  word  was  quietly 
passed  along  the  line  to  fall  in  at  once,  and  about-face  with  our 
backs  to  what  had  heretofore  been  our  front.  During  all  the 
hours  of  the  preceding  night  we  heard  the  tramp  of  the  enemy 
in  our  front,  and  could  quite  distinctly  hear  the  commands 
given  by  their  officers,  and  when  this  order  to  about-face  came 
to  us  in  the  manner  in  which  it  did,  we  naturally  supposed 
our  foe  had  succeeded  in  flanking  us,  and  had  taken  a  posi 
tion  in  our  rear,  never  dreaming  of  a  retreat.  The  regiment, 
having  fallen  in  line  with  the  utmost  quiet,  facing  to  the  rear, 
Colonel  Hays  in  his  most  stentorian  voice  gave  the  command : 
"Attention,  battalion !  Sixty-third  forward,  guide  center, 
march !"  By  this  ruse  the  rebel  forces  in  our  front  patiently 
awaited  our  advance,  and  did  not  discover  the  trick  until  we 
had  safely  reached  the  slashing  or  abbatis  of  fallen  timber 
which  lay  immediately  in  front  of  the  camp  we  had  vacated 
the  day  before.  Upon  reaching  this  abbatis,  the  enemy  was 
close  at  our  heels  and  every  man  of  the  regiment  struck  out 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  113 

for  himself  through  this  mass  and  labyrinth  of  fallen  timber, 
being  constantly  under  a  fusilade  of  bullets  from  the  Johnnies 
and,  strange  to  relate,  the  regiment  all  got  safely  back  to  our 
old  camp,  with  no  casualties  from  that  morning's  experience. 
Our  delivery  that  day  from  a  fierce  engagement  with  all  odds 
against  us,  can  be  attributed  to  nothing  else  than  this  strate 
gical  move  on  the  part  of  our  gallant  commander.  We 
began  to  move  back,  and  when  we  struck  the  woods  next  the 
slashing,  what  was  our  surprise  to  find  a  rebel  picket  line. 
They  were  as  much  surprised  as  we  were.  With  a  kind  of 
"let  me  alone,  and  I'll  let  you  alone,"  we  pushed  on  and 
arrived  at  our  camp  from  whence  we  had  started.  Sergeant 
R.  A.  Nesbit,  of  Company  B,  was  the  leader  of  the  skirmish 
line  during  that  terrible  night's  experience,  and  nobly  did  he 
perform  his  duty.  Thus  ended  the  first  of  the  seven  days' 
battles  in  front  of  Richmond. 

The  casualties  of  the  Battle  of  the  Orchards,  or  Seven  Oaks, 
were: 

KILLED — First  Lieutenant  S.  Hays  Cochran;  Privates  John  B.  Ford, 
Company  E;  William  Greenawalt,  Company  F;  John  Johnston, 
Company  F. 

WOUNDED — Privates  John  Harvey,  Company  D,  severely;  John 
Huggins,  Company  E,  severely;  William  J.  McClarren,  Company 
E,  slightly;  A.  Greenawalt,  Company  F,  loss  of  arm;  Philip 
Griffin,  Company  F,  slightly;  Laurence  Lyon,  Company  H, 
severely;  Michael  Kelly,  Company  H,  slightly;  James  Magraw, 
Company  H,  slightly;  Jacob  Schuler,  Company  H,  severely; 
Corporal  Patrick  Fisher,  Company  H,  slightly. 

MISSING — Private  David  Lynch,   Company  E. 

Following  is  Colonel  Hays'  official  report  of  the  engage 
ment: 

In  Camp,  near  Richmond,  Va., 

June  28,  1862. 
Capt.  C.  H.  Potter, 

Asst.  Adjt.  General  r 

Sir: — I  have  the  honor  to  report  the  results  of  the  skirmish  with 
the  enemy's  forces  on  the  25th  inst.  I  was  ordered  with  my  regiment 
to  deploy  in  front  of  Robinson's  rideau.  Soon  after  passing  our  picket 


114  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

line,  we  fell  in  with  the  advanced  pickets  of  the  enemy,  with  occas 
ional  exchange  of  shots,  for  the  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  quarter. 
Here  we  were  opposed  determinedly  by  the  Fourth  Georgia,  but  after 
a  brisk  and  spirited  contest,  they  gave  up  the  ground. 

Our  loss,  though  light,  considering  the  extent  of  the  action,  I 
regret  to  enumerate,  one  commissioned  officer  and  three  privates 
killed;  thirteen,  rank  and  file,  wounded. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

ALEXANDER  HAYS, 
Col.   63rd  Regt.,  Pa.  Vols. 

Next  day,  Thursday,  June  20th,  our  regiment  lay  quietly  in 
camp,  listening  to  the  heavy  firing  on  the  right  of  the  line. 
We  knew  a  heavy  battle  was  in  progress  and  were  in  constant 
expectation  of  being  sent  up  to  help  do  the  fighting,  but  the 
day  went  by  and  we  were  not  called  on.  This  made  us  believe 
that  our  side  had  been  victorious.  About  dark,  Adjutant 
George  P.  Corts  advanced  to  the  center  of  the  camp  and  in  a 
loud,  ringing  voice,  made  the  following  announcement : 

"General  Porter  attacked  the  enemy  today  at  Beaver  Dam, 
and  has  beaten  them  at  every  point.  The  rebels  are  in  full 
retreat." 

Then  we  shouted  and  yelled  and  shook  hands  with  each 
other,  and  promised  that  we  would  be  in  Richmond  in  less 
than  a  week.  That  prophecy  was  fulfilled  to  some,,  for  in  less 
than  a  w7eek  a  large  number  of  our  men  were  in  Richmond 
in  Libby  Prison,  as  prisoners  of  war. 

A  little  incident  occurred  during  Wednesday's  fight,  which 
will  show  how  cool  some  men  are  in  battle.  Company  A  was 
stationed  among  some  tall  huckleberry  bushes.  The  fruit  was 
getting  ripe  and  the  boys,  between  firing  spells,  were  pluck 
ing  and  eating  them.  Among  them  was  a  young  soldier  from 
Braddock  named  Will  Davison.  He  was  a  cool  boy,  and  never 
got  excited  in  danger.  He  was  in  the  act  of  reaching  to  a 
bush  when  a  minie  ball  came  along  and  cut  off  his  right  fore 
finger,  close  to  the  hand.  Will  looked  at  his  bleeding  hand  a 
minute  and  then  throwing  his  gun  across  his  shoulder,  calmly 
remarked:  "Well,  they  can  just  keep  their  d — d  berries,"  and 
started  to  the  rear  to  get  his  wound  dressed. 

David  Strachan,  of  Company  B,  was  the  tallest  man  in  the 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  115 

regiment,  being  fully  six  foot  six  in  his  bare  feet,  and  pro 
portionately  strong.  At  the  Battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  General 
Jameson's  horse  fell,  catching  the  general  under  him,  at  a 
moment  when  the  enemy  were  pressing  our  lines  very  hard. 
Strachan,  seeing  the  predicament  the  general  was  in,  boldly, 
in  the  face  of  a  heavy  fire,  rushed  forward  and,  aided  by 
Thomas  M.  Shannon,  of  Company  A,  actually  lifted  the  horse 
and  released  the  general,  possibly  saving  him  from  capture. 

Thursday  was  another  hot  day.  Stonewall  Jackson  had 
crossed  the  Chickahominy  and  moved  down  the  north  bank 
of  the  stream,  expecting  to  annihilate  Porter,  who  had  only 
two  divisions  and  some  regulars.  On  the  way  down,  Jacksbn 
was  joined  by  General  Branch  and  A.  P.  Hill,  making  a  strong 
force  composed  of  the  flower  of  the  rebel  army.  The  artillery 
duel  was  a  terrific  one,  which  shook  the  earth,  and  which  we 
had  excitedly  listened  to  in  our  camp.  Porter  had  a  strong 
position  on  Beaver  Dam  Creek  and  presented  a  bold  front  to 
the  enemy,  who  outnumbered  him  two  to  one.  For  hours  the 
battle  raged  furiously  and  only  ceased  when  night  put  an 
end  to  it.  Hundreds  were  killed  on  both  sides,  and  had  the 
fight  lasted  a  few  hours  longer,  Porter  would  have  been  forced 
to  give  way.  This  was  the  fight  we  had  listened  to  all  day, 
and  were  cheered  at  the  report  that  it  was  a  grand  victory. 
It  was  well  that  we  believed  so ;  had  we  known  that  our  right 
wing  had  been  shattered,  AVC  would  not  have  been  so  jubilant. 
Doubtless  our  officers  had  an  inkling  of  the  state  of  affairs, 
but  wisely  kept  it  from  us  in  order  to  instill  confidence  in 
the  men.  Be  that  as  it  may,  we  slept  soundly  that  night  in 
our  camp  in  the  swamp  peninsula,  and  thus  ended  the  second 
of  the  seven  memorable  battles  before  Richmond. 

Friday,  June  2/th,  was  another  blistering  hot  day.  Our 
boys  were  up  at  the  first  call  of  the  bugle,  expecting  to  have 
some  work  to  do  before  night.  We  were  all  feeling  good  over 
the  news  received  the  previous  evening,  but  about  10  o'clock 
the  word  came  down  from  the  right  that  changed  the  com 
plexion  of  things,  and  we  learned  that  Porter,  instead  of  pur 
suing  the  enemy,  had  withdrawn  his  forces  and  taken  up  a 


116  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

new  position.  While  this  was  a  surprise,  we  did  not  consider 
it  a  defeat.  We  agreed  that  it  was  simply  a  ruse  of  Porter, 
who  had  merely  fallen  back  in  order  to  draw  the  rebels  into 
a  position  where  he  could  give  them  a  severe  whipping.  We 
waited  for  the  next  move  on  the  great  chess  board. 

At  noon,  heavy  firing  was  again  heard  on  the  right.  The 
cannonading  was  so  heavy  that  the  earth  seemed  to  tremble 
and  the  deep  rolling  volleys  of  musketry  could  be  plainly 
heard.  Sometimes  we  imagined  we  could  hear  the  cheering 
of  the  contending  hosts,  but  that  was  imagination  as  the  dis 
tance  was  too  great  for  that.  There  is  something  thrilling  in 
listening  to  the  uproar  of  a  battle  in  which  you  are  not 
engaged,  and  our  men  were  restless  and  uneasy,  gathering  in 
groups,  straining  their  ears,  and  indulging  in  speculation  as 
to  the  outcome.  Sometimes,  owing  to  certain  conditions  of 
the  atmosphere,  the  sound  would  become  indistinct,  and  then 
we  would  say  that  our  men  were  driving  them,  but  soon  again 
the  awful  roar  would  burst  forth  louder  than  ever,  and  then 
we  believed  our  men  were  being  driven  back.  All  through 
that  hot,  sweltering  afternoon  the  roar  of  battle  never  ceased 
for  an  instant,  and  we  knew  that  blood  was  flowing  freely  and 
that  thousands  of  our  fellow  creatures  were  being  torn  and 
mangled  by  shot  and  shell,  and  lives  were  being  sacrificed 
in  mighty  numbers. 

General  Porter  had  fallen  back  from  Beaver  Dam  during 
the  night  and  taken  his  position  at  Games'  Mill.  The  enemy, 
flushed  with  the  triumph  of  the  preceding  day,  and  with  vastly 
superior  numbers,  dashed  on  Porter's  forces  with  a  bravery 
seldom  witnessed.  Porter's  whole  force  numbered  only  35,000 
men,  while  that  of  the  enemy,  according  to  their  own  his 
torians,  was  over  60,000.  The  slaughters  were  terrible.  It 
was  here  that  Colonel  Sam  Black,  commanding  the  Sixty- 
second  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  was  killed.  He  was  a  gal 
lant  officer,  and  his  loss  was  deeply  felt. 

As  evening  approached  the  din  of  battle  seemed  to  double 
in  intensity,  and  Porter's  weakened  and  battered  army  could 
stand  it  no  longer,  and  the  whole  right  wing,  without  disorder 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  117 

or  panic,  gradually  fell  back  before  the  fierce  charges  of  the 
foe.  For  about  a  mile  they  retreated,  then  halted,  and  forming 
their  thin  and  bleeding  ranks  into  a  line  of  battle,  again  pre 
pared  to  meet  the  enemy.  Darkness  put  a  stop  to  the  fray, 
and  both  armies  rested. 

The  Union  loss  at  this  battle  at  Games'  Mill  is  reported 
six  thousand  killed  and  wounded  and  two  thousand  prisoners, 
while  that  of  the  Confederates  has  been  estimated  at  nine 
thousand. 

This  was  the  third  of  the  great  battles  before  Richmond. 

At  about  6  o'clock  that  evening,  when  the  din  of  battle  was 
at  its  worst,  our  brigade  was  ordered  to  move  up  toward  the 
right.  It  seemed  strange  to  be  started  out  at  that  hour,  but 
we  were  only  moved  up  to  hold  a  portion  of  the  line  which 
had  been  weakened  by  the  men  sent  to  reinforce  Porter. 
Accordingly,  we  tramped  a  long  distance  through  the  dusk 
of  the  evening,  not  knowing  where  we  were  being  taken, 
moving  on  until  we  reached  the  position  occupied  by  General 
Richardson  during  the  day,  and  who  had  been  moved  farther 
up  to  help  Porter. 

It  was  between  9  and  10  o'clock  when  we  were  halted  and 
told  to  lie  down  for  the  night.  The  roar  of  battle  had  ceased, 
but  every  now  and  then  a  battery  on  our  side  would  suddenly 
open  and  be  quickly  answered  by  a  battery  on  the  other  side. 
They  would  keep  this  up  for  some  time  and  the  air  would  be 
full  of  screaming  and  bursting  shells,  which  frequently  flew 
over  our  heads  and  sometimes  dropped  unpleasantly  near  us. 
The  firing  would  then  cease  and  a  dead  silence  would  follow, 
only  to  be  broken  soon  again  by  another  artillery  duel,  and 
this  was  kept  up  all  night.  Sometimes  a  Union  battery  would 
start  the  racket  and  at  others  a  rebel  one,  but  no  matter 
which  opened,  it  would  be  quickly  answered  from  the  other 
side. 

While  this  firing  was  kept  up  during  the  night,  Porter  was 
withdrawing  his  battered  battalions  to  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  preparatory  to  a  general  retreat  of  the  whole  army  to 
the  James  River.  None  of  us  had  any  suspicion  that  this  was 


118  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

in  contemplation,  and  it  was  well  that  the  men  did  not  sus 
pect  such  a  move,  not  that  the  boys  would  have  refused  to 
obey  their  officers,  but  they  would  have  felt  keenly  discour 
aged.  If  ever  a  set  of  men  on  God's  earth  showed  bravery  and 
discipline,  it  was  the  unfortunate  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

We  lay  in  Richardson's  camp  until  morning,  when  our  regi 
ment  was  moved  out  and  placed  on  picket  in  the  edge  of  a 
field  close  to  the  Chickahominy.  Across  the  stream  on  our 
front  was  a  long,  sloping  hill  covered  with  small,  straggling 
timber ;  an  old  road  ran  along  the  face  of  the  hill  some  distance 
up  the  side.  We  lay  inside  a  fence,  and  while  lying  there, 
two  rebel  cavalrymen  were  seen  riding  along  the  upper  road. 
John  Haymaker  pushed  his  musket  through  between  the  rails 
and  began  to  sight  along  the  barrel.  Of  course  no  one  was 
allowed  to  fire  while  on  picket,  and  after  glancing  along  his 
gun  awhile,  John  said:  "I'll  bet  I  could  fetch  one  of  them 
fellows."  The  other  boys  at  once  began  bantering  him  and 
John,  who  boasted  he  would  never  take  a  dare,  fired,  and  down 
dropped  one  of  the  men.  An  officer  came  hurrying  along  the 
line  to  see  who  had  fired  but,  strange  to  say,  none  of  the  boys 
had  heard  the  shot  and  John  was  lying  innocently  on  the  grass 
and  had  heard  nothing  of  a  shot  either.  The  other  cavalry 
man  had  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  left  hastily,  and  soon 
after  we  got  orders  to  move.  We  moved  back  and  went  into 
camp  along  the  Williamsburg  Road,  about  half  a  mile  south 
of  Savage  Station. 

The  private  soldiers  never  dreamed  that  a  retreat  was  about 
to  be  made  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  or  that  our  situation  was 
most  critical,  or  that  Stonewall  Jackson  was  moving  on  White 
House  Landing  in  our  rear,  where  he  would  cut  off  our  base 
of  supplies  thus  placing  us,  as  it  were,  between  two  armies. 
The  day  was  quiet  where  we  lay.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac 
was  stripping  itself  for  the  race  and  the  terrible  struggle  that 
was  before  it. 

On  Friday  night,  Porter  transferred  his  entire  force  to  the 
other  side  of  the  Chickahominy  preparatory  to  the  movement 
of  the  whole  army  to  the  James  River.  General  McClellan 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  119 

moved  his  headquarters  to  Savage  Station,  and  in  spite  of 
all  that  could  be  done  to  throw  us  on  a  false  scent  and  to  hide 
the  real  situation,  by  Saturday  night  the  true  condition  of 
affairs  began  to  make  itself  apparent  to  every  mind,  and  the 
stern  look  that  might  be  seen  on  every  face  showed  that  the 
men  began  to  appreciate  the  situation  and  would  meet  it  as 
true  volunteer  soldiers,  men  who  had  enlisted  to  fight  and 
who  would  resist  to  the  bitter  end. 

Officers  arrived  at  and  departed  from  headquarters  in  haste, 
orderlies  were  dashing  to  every  part  of  the  army ;  the  gloom 
of  the  night  was  made  more  hideous  by  the  constant  arrival 
of  ambulances  bearing  wounded.  Like  at  Fair  Oaks,  the 
open  grounds  around  the  Savage  House  were  again  covered 
with  a  ghastly  multitude  of  bleeding,  groaning,  dying  men. 
There  was  no  general  engagement  on  this  day  (Saturday), 
but  there  was  desultory  fighting  in  many  places  along  the 
line.  The  enemy  was  looking  for  us  on  the  banks  of  the 
Chickahominy,  not  anticipating  our  retreat  to  the  James. 
Our  men  had  destroyed  the  bridges  over  the  Chickahominy 
when  they  had  crossed  on  Friday  night.  This  was  a  com 
plete  surprise  to  the  rebs,  and  for  awhile  it  rendered  them 
powerless  to  do  us  any  material  mischief.  This  was  a  God 
send  to  us,  as  it  gave  McClellan  time  to  get  his  immense  train 
across  White  Oak  swamp  before  the  army  began  to  move. 

The  distance  to  the  James  River  from  Savage  Station  was 
seventeen  miles,  and  a  single  road  traversed  it,  a  portion  of  it 
"corduroy,"  hastily  made.  Along  this  single  line  the  immense 
train  started,  winding  like  a  huge  serpent  through  the  gloomy 
recesses ;  there  were  between  five  thousand  and  six  thousand 
wagons,  besides  immense  droves  of  cattle. 

The  tragic  scenes  of  that  night  in  the  hands  of  a  fluent 
writer  would  make  interesting  reading.  From  where  we  lay 
in  our  camp,  all  night  long  we  could  hear  the  passing  of  the 
troops,  and  we  knew  that  our  army  was  in  full  retreat ;  where 
to,  we  did  not  know,  but  we  did  know  that  we  were  to  hold 
the  dangerous  position  of  the  rear  guard  and  would  be  called 


120  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

upon  to  do  some  desperate  fighting  when  the  morning  light 
would  dawn. 

Who  that  are  left  of  the  old  Army  of  the  Potomac  will  ever 
forget  that  Sunday,  June  29th,  when  we  lay  at  Savage  Station 
as  the  rear  guard,  expecting  the  'Confederate  Army  to  appear 
in  our  front  at  every  moment. 

The  historian  Pollard,  in  his  "Lost  Cause,'  says  that  Lee's 
Army  had  been  augmented  by  forces  brought  from  the  South, 
until  it  was  vastly  superior  to  McClellan's,  whose  army  had 
been  decimated  by  sickness  and  the  terrible  fighting  it  had 
undergone,  until  it  was  a  mere  skeleton  compared  to  what  it 
was  when  it  started  from  Hampton  on  the  4th  day  of  April, 
scarcely  three  months  before.  Opposed  to  us  was  Lee  with 
his  grand  army,  Longstreet's,  Hill's,  Magruder's,  and  Huger's 
divisions  in  our  front,  while  Jackson,  with  his  fierce,  fighters, 
was  working  around  our  right  flank  and  getting  well  in  our 
rear.  Opposed  to  these  were  the  two  corps  of  Sunnier  and 
Heintzelman,  the  rest  of  the  army  being  well  on  their  way  to 
the  James  River. 

The  rear  guard  of  an  army  is  a  most  important  affair,  being 
expected  to  sacrifice  itself  for  the  good  of  the  remainder  of  the 
army.  It  must  fight,  and  fight  with  desperation,  not  to  win  a 
victory,  but  to  hold  back  the  enemy  as  long  as  possible,  and 
when  no  longer  able  to  do  so,  to  retreat  to  another  good  posi 
tion  and  again  form  line  of  battle  and  engage  the  enemy  and 
endeavor  to  hold  them  sufficiently  long  for  the  advance  to 
gain  a  good  position. 

Sunday  morning  was  hot  and  sultry,  it  was  the  sacred 
day  of  rest  to  the  war-worn  and  weary  Union  troops.  As  soon 
as  we  had  snatched  our  hasty  breakfast,  our  regiment  moved 
back  a  few  hundred  yards  to  a  rise  of  ground  within  sight  of 
the  station,  where  we  formed  line  of  battle  and  awaited  results. 

Savage  Station  had  been  made  a  distributing  base  of  sup 
plies,  and  there  was  piled  up  an  immense  stock  of  army  rations 
consisting  of  crackers,  meat,  coffee,  sugar,  medical  supplies, 
clothing,  whiskey  and  ammunition.  Not  having  teams  to 
carry  off  these  supplies,  and  to  keep  them  from  falling  into  the 


CAPTAIN 
WILLIAM  J.THOMPSON 

COMPANY    D. 


CAPTAIN 

6.EMANUEL  GROSS 

COMPANY   D. 


CAPTAIN 

BERNARD  J.REID 
COMPANY    F. 


CAPTAIN 

DAVIS  SHIELDS 
COMPANY  F. 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  121 

hands  of  the  enemy,  orders  were  given  to  destroy  them.  A 
long  train  of  empty  cars  and  an  engine  had  come  up  from 
White  House  Landing  before  the  place  had  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  rebels.  This  train  was  filled  with  supplies, 
ammunition,  kegs  of  powder,  loaded  shells,  etc.,  steam  was 
gotten  up  in  the  engine  until  it  was  hissing  and  trembling ;  fire 
was  applied  to  each  of  the  cars,  and  then  a  soldier  got  on  the 
engine,  pulled  the  throttle,  and  sprang  to  the  ground.  The 
whole  train  moved  forward,  slowly  at  first,  but  faster  and 
faster  until  it  was  dashing  down  the  track  with  wild  fury.  The 
rapid  motion  fanned  the  fire  until  it  was  soon  a  mass  of  flame. 
It  resembled  a  huge,  fiery  monster,  and  its  roar  fairly  shook 
the  bridge.  The  bridge  over  the  river  had  been  destroyed  by 
our  men  on  Saturday,  and  when  the  burning  train  reached  the 
river,  it  plunged  far  out  into  the  stream  with  a  crash  that  could 
have  been  heard  for  miles. 

About  10  o'clock  the  work  of  destruction  began  at  Savage 
Station.  Hundreds  of  barrels  of  coffee,  rice,  sugar,  whiskey, 
boxes  of  crackers,  barrels  of  meat,  and  other  supplies  were 
quickly  destroyed  and  consigned  to  the  flames. 

The  hours  passed  on  and  noon  came,  but  no  enemy  as  yet 
appeared.  Some  of  our  boys  ventured  into  a  piece  of  woods  in 
front  and  captured  two  rebel  soldiers  who  were  scouting. 
They  brought  them  into  our  camp.  One  was  an  Irishman  and 
the  other  a  native  Texan ;  the  Texan  was  sullen,  but  the  Irish 
man,  like  all  his  countrymen,  had  plenty  of  talk.  An  Irishman 
belonging  to  Company  H  came  along  and  struck  up  a  con 
versation  with  his  rebel  countryman.  In  a  short  time  he 
learned  that  the  rebel  had  come  from  the  same  place  in  Ireland 
that  he  had,  and  then  it  was  all  the  guards  could  do  to  keep 
him  from  pitching  into  his  fellow  countryman  and  thrashing 
him  for  being  a  rebel.  When  he  was  prevented  from  fighting 
him,  he  gave  him  such  a  tongue  lashing  as  only  an  Irishman 
could  give.  It  was  very  amusing  to  the  rest  of  us,  but  not  at 
all  funny  to  the  prisoner.  In  front  of  our  regiment  was  a  rail 
fence.  This  we  threw  down  and  piled  up  the  rails  in  a  line  and 
behind  this  slight  defense  we  lay,  looking  over  the  open  fields 
and  to  where  they  terminated  in  the  dark  pine  woods  where 


122  UNDER  TH3  RED  PATCH 

the  enemy  lay.  Various  changes  in  the  disposition  of  our 
forces  were  going  on.  Now  a  long  line  of  artillery  passed  on 
our  right  and  took  up  a  position  on  a  rising  ground,  the  bright 
brass  guns  gleaming  in  the  sunlight,  while  the  dark  steel  Par 
rot  guns  looked  black  and  threatening.  The  guns  were  unlim- 
bered,  the  horses  taken  to  the  rear,  the  ammunition  chests 
opened,  with  the  gunners  lying  down  beside  their  pieces,  and 
again  all  wras  an  ominous  silence.  Then  we  saw  a  large  body 
of  infantry  advance  around  our  right  and  take  up  a  position 
in  an  open  field.  While  we  were  wondering  what  troops  they 
were,  a  breeze  blew  open  the  folds  of  a  flag  and  we  saw  the 
green  flag  of  Ireland.  Then  wre  knew  it  was  Meagher'  fighting 
Irish  brigade,  and  we  felt  that  not  a  man  in  that  brigade  would 
yield  while  life  lasted,  and  where  that  green  flag  would  lead  it 
would  be  followed  by  every  true  son  of  Erin,  even  into  the 
very  jaws  of  death. 

About  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  report  was  circulated  that 
a  portion  of  the  rebel  army  was  attempting  a  flank  movement 
in  order  to  cut  our  line  as  it  was  passing  on  its  way  to  James 
River,  and  a  portion  of  Heintzelman's  corps  was  hurried 
toward  the  White  Oak  swamp,  leaving  General  Sunnier  to 
meet  the  enemy  at  Savage  Station. 

About  5  o'clock  the  rebel  army  fell  upon  Sunnier  in  great 
numbers ;  it  began  with  a  grand  artillery  duel,  gun  answered 
gun,  and  shell  met  shell  in  the  air  until  it  was  an  unceasing 
roar,  and  the  very  earth  seemed  to  tremble.  The  artillery  duel 
lasted  nearly  an  hour  when  suddenly  the  whole  mass  of  the 
enemy  sprang  forward  with  their  peculiar  panther  yell,  and 
charged  on  Sumner's  lines ;  and  nobly  did  the  old  soldier  and 
his  heroes  meet  them  with  a  storm  of  fire  that  made  them 
waver  and  fall  back  for  some  distance,  but  they  soon  rallied 
and  the  firing  was  incessant.  Peal  on  peal  from  the  cannon, 
volley  on  volley  of  musketry,  yells  and  screams,  until  it  formed 
a  picture  that  will  never  be  effaced  from  memory  while  life 
lasts.  The  fight  continued  to  rage  until  about  9  o'clock  when 
the  firing  gradually  slackened,  and  the  rebels  withdrew,  com 
pletely  whipped  by  the  gallant  body  of  Sumner's  brave  men. 
During  that  night  we  plodded  our  way  through  the  dark 


STORY   OF   THE   SIXTY-THIRD   REMIMENT  123 

recesses  of  the  dismal  White  Oak  swamp  and  about  2.  o'clock 
in  the  morning  our  tired  forces  emerged  from  it  and  came  out 
on  hard  ground.  We  were  halted  and  all  threw  ourselves  on 
the  ground  and  each  man  went  to  sleep  where  he  lay. 

Monday  morning,  June  3Oth,  was  one  of  the  hottest  of  that 
summer.  We  were  aroused  early  by  the  bugle  call,  and  weary 
and  cross,  the  men  got  up  and  we  began  to  look  at  our  sur 
roundings.  On  our  right  lay  the  Pennsylvania  Reserves  and 
on  our  left  lay  the  Fifty-seventh  Pennsylvania  Regiment, 
while  farther  down  the  slope  in  front  of  us,  lay  the  fighting 
Irish  boys  of  the  Eighty-seventh  New  York.  The  heat  of  the 
day  caused  the  men  to  suffer  greatly  from  thirst  and  no  water 
could  be  found  anywhere.  WThen  a  well  was  reached  along 
side  the  road  it  was  so  crowded  with  thirsty  men  that  it  was 
impossible  to  procure  any  water,  and  we  never  felt  the  heat 
more  than  on  that  day.  After  marching  for  several  miles 
along  a  plateau,  we  turned  toward  the  right  and  descended  a 
long  hill  and  debouched  into  an  immense  grain  field,  and  were 
halted.  As  soon  as  we  came  to  a  halt,  several  of  us  took  our 
canteens  and  started  off  on  the  hunt  for  water.  After  going 
along  for  sometime  we  came  to  the  Eighth  Pennsylvania 
Reserves,  where  we  met  a  number  of  Braddock  friends,  and 
there  found  a  spring  of  cleliciously  cold  water,  and  we  drank 
until  we  feared  we  would  founder.  While  with  the  Reserves, 
cannonading  was  heard  on  our  right  and  we  hurried  back  to 
the  regiment.  The  firing  on  our  right  was  by  General 
Slocum's  men  who  were  in  a  hct  fight  with  the  enemy  who 
had  followed  our  retreating  arn-y  through  the  White  Oak 
swamp  to  where  the  corduroy  road  had  been  destroyed,  and 
where  General  Slocum  had  been  po:tcd  to  stop  their  advance. 
It  was  a  hard  fight,  but  our  men  had  successfully  held  the 
enerfiy  from  advancing  any  farther.  Our  regiment  prepared 
for  the  mighty  encounter  that  seemed  inevitable.  Just  in 
front  of  our  line  there  was  an  old-fashioned  "worm"  fence 
which  had  been  thrown  down,  and  behind  this  slight  protec 
tion  our  men  were  lying.  In  front  of  us  was  an  open  plain 
of  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  and  just  beyond  this  a  woods 
behind  which  the  enemy  \vas  lying.  About  half  way  between 


124  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

us  and  these  woods  was  a  negro  cabin  in  which  were  domiciled 
a  number  of  slaves.  The  second  line  was  placed  about  three 
hundred  yards  in  our  rear,  obliquely  to  our  right,  on  a  rising 
ground,  while  the  Irish  Brigade  of  four  thousand  men  under 
General  Meagher,  was  stationed  as  a  general  reserve,  to  be  let 
loose  at  the  proper  moment  of  the  battle.  A  section  of  a 
battery  was  stationed  about  two  hundred  yards  in  front  of  us, 
with  the  horses  taken  out,  the  guns  unlimbered,  and  the  artil 
lery  men  lying  on  the  ground  beside  their  guns  and  caissons, 
waiting  for  the  ball  to  open. 

There  were  two  roads  by  which  the  enemy  could  reach  us 
from  Richmond,  viz. :  The  Charles  City  Road,  running  a 
short  distance  south  of  White  Oak  swamp,  and  the  Derby- 
town  Road,  nearer  the  James  River.  By  these  two  roads  A.  P. 
Hill  and  the  other  rebel  generals  had  poured  all  their  mighty 
hosts,  except  that  portion  which  had  followed  Sumner  through 
the  swamp,  and  which  Slocum  had  checked  and  prevented 
from  attacking  our  rear.  The  object  of  the  rebels  was  to 
strike  McClellan's  weary  columns  as  they  emerged  from  the 
tangle  of  the  swamp,  and  crush  them  before  they  could  reach 
the  river.  •  There  was  a  third  road  called  the  New  Market 
Road,  and  on  this  one  McCall's  Pennsylvania  Reserves  were 
posted,  but  McClellan  had  used  such  expedition  and  his 
columns  were  pushed  on  so  rapidly  that  they  had  cleared  the 
swamp  and  had  time  to  form  lines  of  battle  before  the  enemy 
had  come  within  striking  distance. 

The  Sixty-third  was  in  the  first  line  behind  an  extemporized 
breastwork  of  fence  rails,  waiting  for  the  attack.  Every  now 
and  then  one  of  our  cannons  in  front  of  us,  would  send  a 
shell  flying  into  the  woods  in  our  front,  and  again  all  would 
be  still  as  death.  The  enemy  paid  no  attention  to  these  compli 
ments  sent  by  the  artillery,  but  maintained  the  ominous  silence 
which  precedes  the  storm. 

We  had  piled  up  our  knapsacks,  blankets,  shelter  tents,  etc., 
before  the  battle  began,  and  that  was  the  last  we  ever  saw  of 
them,  for  when  the  battle  ended  our  lines  had  fallen  back  and 
the  Johnnies  had  possession  of  them. 

We  will  never,  forget  the  awful  stillness  that  reigned  just 


STORY   OF   THE   SIXTY-THIRD   REMIMENT  125 

before  the  opening  of  this  fight.  The  men  seldom  spoke  and 
when  they  did  it  was  in  low,  quick  tones.  When  the  ears  are 
deafened  by  the  roaring  of  cannon,  the  crashing  of  musketry, 
the  shrieking  and  bursting  of  shells,  the  yelling  and  shouting 
of  furious  combatants,  the  soldier  loses  all  fear  and  the  veriest 
coward  will  not  think  of  running  away,  but  will  fire  and  yell, 
yes,  and  swear  like  a  madman ;  but  it  is  a  severe  strain  on  the 
men  to  lie,  momentarily  expecting  the  carnage  to  begin. 

All  at  once,  from  away  in  front,  came  three  cannon  shots 
at  regular  intervals,  and  we  knew  instinctively  that  it  was  the 
signal  for  some  decided  move  of  the  enemy.  Scarcely  had  the 
echoes  of  the  last  shot  died  aAvay,  when  a  most  furious  cannon 
ade  burst  forth  against  McCall's  Reserves.  The  discharges 
were  so  rapid  that  it  was  impossible  to  count  them.  This  took 
place  about  3  o'clock.  McCall  was  not  slow  in  answering, 
and  soon  shot  answered  shot  and  shell  met  shell,  and  the  air 
was  full  of  the  missiles  of  death. 

The  tremendous  artillery  duel  lasted  about  three-quarters 
of  an  hour,  when  almost  instantly  the  woods  in  front  of  McCall 
seemed  to  open,  and  thousands  upon  thousands  of  men  in  gray 
rushed  forth  and  opened  a  fearful  fire  of  musketry. 

From  where  the  Sixty-third  lay  we  had  a  good  view  of  the 
fight  against  McCall,  and  as  we  had  not  as  yet  come  under 
the  enemy's  fire,  we  had  nothing  to  do  but  gaze  at  the  con 
flict,  and  it  was  a  grand  as  well  as  a  terrific  sight.  McCall's 
batteries  were  nobly  served,  and  hurled  grape,  canister  and 
shells  into  the  charging  columns.  We  could  see  great  gaps 
made  in  their  lines,  yet  they  never  seemed  to  halt,  but  closing 
up  their  shattered  ranks,  pressed  on  still  with  desperate  fury, 
advancing  with  their  panther-like  yells  which,  once  heard,  are 
never  forgotten. 

The  reserves  made  several  daring  charges,  but  it  was  like 
charging  against  a  rock.  Flesh  and  blood  could  not  stand  such 
desperate  fighting  against  superior  numbers  and  the  line  of 
reserves  was  gradually  forced  back,  but  at  no  time  was  it 
broken.  The  ground  was  literally  covered  with  dead  and 
wounded  men  and  horses.  Sometimes  the  fighting  was  hand 


126  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

to  hand.  During  the  fighting,  General  McCall  was  taken 
prisoner. 

After  attacking  McCall,  the  enemy  paid  his  respects  to  our 
line.  At  first  they  opened  a  heavy  cannonading  en  us  from  the 
woods  on  our  front,  their  shells  bursting  away  up  in  the  air. 
They  came  so  fast  that  the  sky  was  dotted  with  the  puffs  of 
smoke  from  the  exploding  shells.  Had  they  kept  their  range 
the  result  would  have  been  harmless  to  us,  but  they  soon  began 
to  lower  the  range  and  the  shells  burst  nearer.  At  last  they 
got  our  exact  position,  and  their  shells  began  to  fall  in  amongst 
us.  A  short  distance  to  the  right  of  where  we  lay,  a  ponderous 
shell  struck  the  rails  and  exploded  in  Company  G.  When  the 
cloud  of  dust,  smoke,  and  broken  fragments  of  fence  rails  had 
been  cleared  away,  there  were  eight  men  lying  there,  torn  and 
mangled  almost  beyond  recognition.  Had  the  enemy  kept  that 
range  longer,  our  whole  line  would  have  had  to  fall  back  or 
be  annihilated,  but  they  still  kept  lowering  it  until  the  shells 
struck  the  ground  in  front  of  us,  ricochetted,  and  fell  among 
the  men  composing  the  second  line.  In  the  meantime  our  bat 
teries  worked  rapidly,  especially  Randall's,  which  returned 
the  enemy's  fire  with  interest.  This  was  kept  up  for  nearly  an 
hour. 

An  amusing  incident  occurred  at  the  negro  cabin  midway 
between  our  lines  and  the  woods  where  the  enemy  was  massed. 
This  calMn  contained  quite  a  number  of  negroes  of  all  ages. 
After  our  lines  had  been  formed,  an  aide  to  General  Kearney 
rode  up  to  the  place  and  told  them  to  get  out  of  that,  as  it  was 
likely  a  heavy  battle  would  soon  be  raging  there  and  they 
would  be  in  the  very  center  of  it.  They  did  not  seem  to  realize 
their  danger  and  paid  no  attention  to  him,  but  stood  outside 
their  cabin  gazing  at  the  soldiers  taking  up  their  positions.  It 
was  a  new  experience  to  these  simple-minded  people,  they 
never  having  seen  such  large  bodies  of  men  before,  and  they 
stood  looking  on  in  a  kind  of  dazed  condition,  not  realizing 
that  they  were  in  any  danger.  When  the  rebels  opened  their 
artillery  fire  on  us,  the  first  shells  burst  over  the  cabin,  and 
then  those  negroes  swarmed.  If  there  was  anything  that  a 
negro  was  more  afraid  of  than  another,  it  was  a  screeching 


STORY   OF   THE   SIXTY-THIRD   REMIMENT  127 

shell,  and  they  would  always  fly  when  one  came  near.  At 
about  the  time  the  third  shell  burst  they  were  seen  leaving 
their  cabin  and  hunting  for  solitude.  Here  they  came,  old  and 
young,  men,  women  and  children,  most  of  them  carrying 
bundles,  but  the  center  of  attraction  was  a  big  fat  darkey  who 
led  the  procession,  and  all  he  carried  was  a  scare  big  enough 
for  the  whole  crowd.  He  had  nothing  on  but  his  shirt  and 
pantaloons,  being  bareheaded  and  barefooted.  His  head  was 
thrown  back,  his  face  was  the  color  of  ashes,  his  eyes  stuck 
out  like  two  buckeyes  thrown  against  a  mud  wall ;  his  mouth 
was  opening  and  shutting  like  a  fish  out  of  water,  and  he  made 
more  steps  to  the  minute  and  fewer  to  the  mile  than  he  had 
ever  done  before.  Every  now  and  then  a  shell  would  burst 
close  to  him,  and  his  leaps  were  wonderful.  He  ran  right  over 
our  line  and  kept  on.  Our  boys  yelled  at  him  as  he  passed,  but 
he  paid  no  attention ;  soon  we  heard  the  rear  end  give  him 
another,  but  on  he  went ;  he  never  stopped  short  of  the  James 
River.  The  sight  of  this  coon  was  a  kind  of  consolation  to  all 
of  us  as  we  were  glad  to  know  there  was  somebody  worse 
scared  than  wTe  were. 

All  at  once  vast  numbers  of  men  in  gray  were  seen  rushing 
out  of  the  woods  in  our  front,  and  our  time  had  come  for 
bloody  work.  General  Kearney  spoke  cheering  words  to  his 
men  and  each  resolved  to  do  or  die.  The  fighting  of  the  Con 
federates  was  terrific  and  their  bravery  unexcelled,  though 
our  volleys  strewed  the  ground  with  thousands,  they  never 
faltered,  but  closing  up  their  gaps  came  on  undauntedly.  The 
hardest  fighting  raged  around  the  negro  house,  and  at  one 
time  our  color  sergeant,  Will  Weeks,  held  the  Sixty-third 
colors  at  one  corner,  while  a  rebel  color  bearer  held  his  at  the 
other  corner,  so  close  were  we  to  each  other.  Kearney  was 
everywhere,  encouraging  and  cheering  his  men.  Thompson's 
battery  mowed  down  the  rebels  by  whole  ranks,  but  they  still 
came  on;  they  seemed  to  spring  out  of  the  earth  so  many  of 
them  were  there. 

The  Confederates  fell  back  sullenly,  and  so  ended  the  Battle 
of  Nelson's  Farm,  officially  known  as  Glendale,  being  the 


128  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

sixth    of   the   bloody    seven    days'   fighting,    and   one   of   the 
bloodiest  of  the  seven. 

After  the  battle,  General  Kearney  saluted  Colonel  Hays  and 
said :  "Colonel,  you  and  your  men  did  nobly,  and  as  soon  as 
we  got  into  permanent  camp  your  men  shall  be  excused  from 
all  duty,  except  your  own  camp  guard,  for  thirty  days;  I  shall 
see  that  they  get  it." 

After  our  arrival  at  Harrison's  Landing,  he  kept  his  word 
and  the  men  had  nothing  to  do  but  police  duty,  swim  and 
bathe  in  the  James  River,  and  eat  "soft  bread"  with  plenty  of 
butter,  jelly,  jams  and  other  good  things  too  numerous  to 
mention.  The  regiment  remained  at  Harrison's  Landing  from 
July  2nd  to  August  I3th,  and  during  that  time  the  Sixty-third 
was  not  called  upon  to  do  any  extra  duty.  General  Kearney 
was  always  friendly  to  the  regiment,  and  was  the  boon  com 
panion  and  intimate  friend  of  Colonel  Hays. 

This  is,  we  believe,  the  only  case  on  record  during  the  war 
where  a  regiment  received  such  a  compliment,  especially  from 
such  a  stern  disciplinarian  as  General  Kearney. 

General  Kearney,  in  his  official  report  of  the  Battle  of  Nel 
son's  Farm,  or  Glendale,  says : 

"At  4  o'clock  p.  m.  the  attack  commenced  with  vigor,  and  in  such 
masses  as  I  had  never  witnessed..  Thomson's  Battery,  directed 
with  great  skill,  literally  swept  the  slightly  falling  open  space  with 
the  completest  execution,  and  mowing  them  down  by  ranks,  would 
cause  the  survivors  to  a  momentary  halt,  but  almost  instantly  after 
increased  masses  came  up  and  the  wave  bore  on.  These  masses 
coming  up  with  a  rapid  run,  covering  the  entire  breadth  of  the 
open  ground,  some  two  hundred  paces,  would  alone  be  checked  in 
their  career  by  the  gaps  of  the  fallen.  Still  no  retreat,  and  again 
a  fresh  mass  would  carry  on  the  approaching  line  still  nearer.  If 
there  was  one  man  in  this  attack  there  must  have  been  ten  thousand, 
and  their  loss  by  artillery,  although  borne  with  such  fortitude, 
must  have  been  unusual.  It  was  by  scores,  with  the  irrepressibility 
of  numbers,  on  they  persisted.  The  artillery,  destructive  as  it  was, 
ceased  to  be  a  calculation.  It  was  then  that  Colonel  Alexander 
Hays,  with  the  Sixty-third  Pennsylvania,  and  half  of  the  Thirty- 
seventh  New  York,  was  moved  forward  to  the  line  of  the  guns.  I 
have  here  to  call  the  attention  of  my  superior  chiefs  to  this  most 
heroic  action  on  the  part  of  Colonel  Hays  and  his  regiment.  The 


STORY  OP  THE   SIXTY-THIRD   REMIMENT  129 

Sixty-third  has  won  for  Pennsylvania  the  laurels  of  fame.  That 
which  grape  and  canister  failed  in  effecting,  was  now  accomplished 
by  the  determined  charge  and  rapid  volleys  of  this  foot.  The 
enemy,  at  the  muzzle  of  our  guns  for  the  first  time,  sulkily  retired 
fighting.  Subsequently  ground  having  been  gained  the  Sixty-third 
Pennsylvania  was  ordered  to  'lie  low/  and  the  battery  once  more 
opened  its  ceaseless  work  of  destruction. 

"This  battle  saw  renewed  three  onsets  as  above,  with  similar 
vicissitudes,  when  finally  the  enemy  betokened  his  efforts  as  passed, 
by  converting  his  charges  into  ordinary  line  fight  of  musketry, 
embracing  the  whole  front  of  the  brigade,  for  by  this  period  he  was 
enabled  to  do  so  from  Thompson's  pieces  having  left  the  field,  after 
expending  their  grape,  and  become  tired  of  the  futility  of  round 
shot." 

General  Berry,  in  a  letter  to  Colonel  Hays,  says : 

Headquarters  Third  Brigade, 

July  11,  1862. 

Sir: — It  affords  me  great  pleasure  to  address  you  at  this  time,  par 
ticularly  on  the  subject  matter  of  the  battle  of  Nelson's  farm,  or 
Charles  City,  as  it  is  sometimes  called.  I  had  the  honor  to  command 
the  reserve  brigade  of  our  division.  I  was  ordered  by  General 
Kearney  to  hold  myself  and  command  ready  at  all  times  to  render 
aid  to  the  First  and  Second  Brigades.  This  being  so,  I  watched  the 
movements  of  the  enemy  and  our  own  men  with  the  most  intense 
interest.  You,  sir,  and  your  brave  men  were  placed  near  to  and 
ordered  to  support  Thompson's  Battery.  Never  was  work  better 
done,  or  battery  better  supported,  and  it  is  a  great  pleasure  to  me 
to  be  able  to  say  it,  and  it  is  also  my  duty  to  say  it,  that  I  have  not 
in  my  career  in  military  life  seen  better  fighting  or  a  work  better 
done.  I  should  fear  to  try  to  do  better  with  any  troops*  I  have  ever 
seen.  'Tis  enough  to  say  your  fighting  was  a  perfect  success. 

Allow  me,  my  brave  friend,  to  tender  to  you  my  congratulations 
for  honors  won  on  many  fields,  particularly  this  one  named  here,  and 
to  assure  you  of  my  kind  regards  for  your  health,  happiness  and 
prosperity  in  life.  I  am  sir,  with  much  respect, 

Your  friend  and  servant, 

H.    G.    BERRY, 

COLONEL  ALEXANDER  HAYS,  Brig.  Gen.  Vols. 

63rd  Regiment,  Penna.  Vols. 

General  Sumner  says  of  this  battle  that  it  was  "the  most 
severe  action  since  the  Battle  of  Fair  Oaks,"  and  General 
Heintzelman,  in  his  official  report,  states  that  "the  attack  com 
menced  at  4  p.  m.  and  was  pushed  by  heavy  masses  with  the 


130  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

utmost  determination  and  vigor.  The  whole  open  space,  two 
hundred  paces  wide,  was  filled  with  the  enemy, —  each  repulse 
brought  fresh  troops.  The  third  attack  was  only  repulsed  by 
the  rapid  volleys  and  determined  charge  of  the  Sixty-third 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  Colonel  Hays  commanding." 

No  army  but  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  could  have  stood 
such  heavy  pounding  without  becoming  demoralized.  For  six 
days  the  enemy,  in  overpowering  numbers,  had  been  dashing 
on  our  lines  with  desperate  bravery,  and  though  our  losses 
were  very  great,  still  that  devoted  force  shook  itself  together 
and  presented  a  bold  front  to  the  exultant  foe. 

The  fighting  had  ceased  by  9  o'clock  that  night.  The  rebels 
lay  on  their  side  of  the  battlefield  and  we  on  ours,  while 
between  the  lines  lay  thousands  of  dead  and  wounded  soldiers 
of  both  armies.  Both  sides  claimed  that  the  other's  loss  was 
the  heavier,  but  there  was  not  much  difference,  it  was  really 
a  drawn  battle,  neither  side  had  gained  anything;  but  alas, 
we  had  to  leave  our  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field. 

About  12  o'clock  the  word  was  quietly  passed  along  the  line 
to  "fall  in,"  and  the  tired  and  worn-out  soldiers  began  to  drag 
their  weary  limbs  into  column  again  for  another  tramp.  We 
knew  we  were  heading  towards  the  James  River,  and  we  also 
knew  that  the  morrow  would  be  another  day  of  carnage  and 
death  to  many,  but  to  the  everlasting  honor  of  the  boys,  but 
little  grumbling  was  heard,  and  no  one  shirked  his  duty. 

Soon  we  were  in  line  and  moved  off  quietly  and  slowly  lest 
the  enemy, 'hearing  our  departure,  should  make  another  attack 
which  was  not  wanted  at  that  time,  and  once  more  the  head 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  plunged  into  the  darkness  of  the 
night  on  its  memorable  retreat. 

We  went  some  distance  along  the  Newmarket  Road,  and 
this  led  us  over  a  portion  of  the  ground  where  the  reserves 
had  done  their  hard  fighting.  We  saw  here  enough  to  show 
the  terrible  struggle  that  had  taken  place, — all  along  the  road 
the  dead  were  thickly  strewn,  while  the  wounded  men  lay 
moaning  and  groaning  on  every  side.  The  universal  cry  was 
"Water!  Water!"  uttered  in  such  piteous  tones  that  none  but 
hearts  of  stone  could  withstand  it.  We  gave  the  poor  fellows 


STORY  OF   THE   SIXTY-THIRD   REMIMENT  131 

all  that  remained  in  our  canteens,  and  left  them  in  the  darkness 
to  moan  out  their  sufferings,  knowing  that  before  the  sun 
would  again  rise,  many  would  have  passed  away  from  all  suf 
fering  and  trouble. 

After  marching  some  distance  along  this  road  we  turned  to 
the  left.  We  passed  through  woods,  then  along  a  road  with 
cleared  fields  on  each  side,  then  down  a  sloping  hill  into  what 
appeared  to  be  a  swampy  country,  then  again  up  a  long  hill 
and  across  a  level  plateau ;  and  thus  we  trudged  wearily 
through  the  darkness,  making  frequent  halts  for  short  rests. 
During  these  halts  we  would  sit  down  by  the  roadside  and  in  a 
few  minutes  would  be  fast  asleep ;  then  be  hurried  again  into 
line,  to  move  on. 

There  was  one  peculiar  incident  that  occurred  during  one 
of  these  halts  which  came  near  precipitating  a  panic  among 
the  men.  It  occurred  while  we  were  going  down  a  long  hill. 
A  mule  belonging  to  a  New  York  Regiment  some  distance  in 
our  rear,  laden  with  camp  kettles,  had  become  frightened  or 
possessed  of  the  devil's  spirit  belonging  to  a  mule,  ran  off  and 
came  tearing  down  the  line  lickety  split,  the  kettles  clashing 
together  and  making  more  noise  than  a  boiler  shop  in  full 
blast.  He  was  mixing  some  powerful  kicking  with  his  run 
ning  and  knocking  the  camp  kettles  in  every  direction.  Every 
man  sprang  to  his  feet  grasping  his  gun,  not  knowing  what  to 
make  of  it,  and  only  for  the  coolness  of  the  officers,  it  might 
have  resulted  in  a  panic.  All  old  soldiers  know  how  easily  a 
panic  can  be  started  at  night  when  something  occurs  of  which 
the  boys  cannot  see  the  cause. 

Next  morning  (Tuesday,  July  ist)  we  reached  the  base  of 
Malvern  Hill  and  in  a  short  time  were  assigned  to  our  station, 
where  we  ate  a  frugal  breakfast  of  hard  tack  and  waited  for 
the  coming  storm,  well  knowing  it  would  be  the  final  one,  for 
if  we  did  not  drive  the  enemy  back  here,  it  was  all  up  with  us. 

Malvern  Hill  is  an  elevation  of  about  150  feet  in  height, 
with  the  James  River  on  the  south.  To  the  north  are  open 
fields  for  nearly  a  mile  and  a  half  long  and  three-quarters  of 
a  mile  wide.  On  this  hill  and  on  the  slope  General  McClellan 
had  planted  his  artillery,  consisting  of  about  three  hundred 


132  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

pieces  of  all  sizes,  so  arranged  as  to  sweep  the  fields  in  front. 
Five  gun  boats  lay  in  the  James  River  waiting  to  take  part 
in  the  coming  battle.  Our  regiment  had  been  assigned  a  posi 
tion  where  it  was  not  exposed,  hence  our  casualties  were  but 
few  that  day.  It  began  shortly  after  noon,  but  the  rebels  did 
not  make 'their  grand  attack  until  about  4  p.  m.,  and  their 
charges  were  most  desperate,  but  our  men  mowed  them  down 
like  grain  before  the  scythe.  At  half  past  five,  General 
Magruder  made  his  last  desperate  charge,  which  was  repulsed 
with  heavy  loss  to  the  rebels,  and  the  battle  was  over. 

As  darkness  closed  upon  the  scene,  who  can  ever  forget  the 
grand  cheer  that  broke  from  regiment  to  regiment  and  from 
brigade  to  brigade,  until  the  echoes  were  caught  up  by  the 
surrounding  woods  and  rolled  albng  the  river  banks  in  one 
grand  pean  of  victory.  Doubtless  the  fleeing  enemy  heard 
these  cheers  of  victory,  and  felt  all  the  more  depressed  over 
their  bitter  defeat. 

The  following  graphic  description  of  the  battles  of  Glendale 
and  Malvern  Hill,  was  written  by  Captain  Bernard  J.  Reid, 
of  Company  F,  of  the  Sixty -third  : 

"Late  in  the  afternoon  of  Sunday,  'June  28th,  Robinson's  (late 
Jameson's)  Brigade  of  Kearney's  Division,  having  been  the  rear 
guard  on  the  Williamsburg  Road  during  the  day,  were  ordered  to 
pass  White  Oak  swamp  at  the  upper  ford  to  protect  the  right  flank 
of  the  retreating  army.  The  ford  was  impassable  by  artillery,  the 
new  corduroy  road  and  bridge  recently  constructed  by  Keys'  corps, 
having  been  torn  up,  and  mounted  officers  found  great  difficulty  in 
passing  the  swamp.  When  the  head  of  the  column  reached  the  high 
ground  on  the  south  side,  it  was  fired  upon  by  pickets  and  skirmish 
ers  of  the  enemy,  and  General  Kearney,  who  just  then  reached  the 
ford,  ordered  a  countermarch  rather  than  bring  on  an  engagement 
prematurely,  and  the  trains,  not  having  all  had  time  to  pass  at  the 
crossings  below.  The  swamp  was  passed  by  the  brigade  at  a  bridge 
two  miles  below,  after  dark,  and  we  rested  on  our  arms  in  the  high 
ground  beyond  till  daybreak,  when  we  moved  on  to  the  intersecting 
of  our  road  with  the  Charles  City.  Here  the  brigade  was  massed  in 
column,  while  scouts  and  skirmishers  were  thrown  out,  up  and  across 
the  Charles  City  Road,  feeling  for  the  enemy's  approach  on  our 
right  flank.  We  rested  two  or  three  hours  without  any  tidings  of  the 
foe,  and  then  moved  on  towards  Malvern  and  were  posted  in  a  large 
clover  and  oats  field  to  the  right  of  our  road  and  on  the  near  side  of 


STORY  OF  THE   SIXTY-THIRD   REMIMENT  133 

the  Newmarket  Road.  The  day  was  clear  and  beautiful  and  the  men, 
unslinging  their  knapsacks,  pitched  their  shelter  tents  for  the  sake 
of  the  shade  they  afforded,  and  after  the  fatigues  and  marches  of  the 
last  few  days  and  nights,  most  of  them  made  a  bed  on  the  luxurious 
verdure  beneath,  to  seek  a  few  hours  of  much-needed  sleeptand  rest. 
There  had  been  considerable  cannonading  early  in  the  day  in  the 
direction  of  White  Oak  swamp,  where  we  were  holding  the  enemy, 
but  towards  noon  all  became  still  and  calm  as  any  rustic  scene  could 
be  in  time  of  peace.  It  was  the  death-like  stillness  preceding  the 
tornado,  so  quiet  it  seemed  that  being  bi-monthly  muster  day,  the 
Sixty-third  was  regularly  mustered,  as  though  we  were  secure  in 
permanent  camp  or  barracks.  Scarcely  was  the  ceremony  over  when 
there  arose  symptoms  of  break  in  the  unusual  calm,  and  early  in  the 
afternoon  an  occasional  cannon  shot  was  heard. 

Our  position  was  at  the  intersection  of  the  Newmarket  Road  with 
a  road  on  which  we  had  advanced  that  Monday  morning,  June  30th, 
from  the  upper  side  of  White  Oak  swamp  towards  the  James,  on 
the  right  flank  of  the  main  body  of  the  retreating  army,  the  head 
of  which  was  Porter,  and  already  reached  communications  with  our 
gunboats  at  Turkey  Bend.  On  the  left,  as  we  approached  the  cross 
ing  of  the  roads,  there  were  woods  which  extended  on  that  side  some 
distance  and  beyond  were  fields  on  both  sides,  the  cleared  land  lying 
in  an  L  shape,  and  its  angle  of  woods  on  our  left.  McCall's  Division 
was  posted  beyond  the  Newmarket  Road  and  nearly  parallel  with  it, 
with  its  back  to  the  woods.  Kearney's  Division  was  on  McCall's 
immediate  right  with  its  back  to  the  same  angle  of  woods,  the  two 
lines  thus  forming  an  L  with  its  point  outwards  toward  the  enemy. 
The  opposite  woods  on  Kearney's  front  were  some  three  hundred 
yards  distant;  those  fronting  McCall  about  twice  that.  The  Sixty- 
third  was  on  the  extreme  left  of  Kearney's  Division,  its  left  resting 
on  the  Newmarket  Road,  and  connecting  there  with  McCall's  extreme 
right,  at  the  angle  of  the  line.  Thompson's  Battery  of  the  Fourth 
United  States  Artillery  was  posted  in  the  field  in  our  front,  and  to 
us  was  assigned  the  duty  of  supporting  it.  About  3  o'clock  the 
ominous  stillness  of  the  last  few  hours  was  broken  by  a  furious  attack 
of  artillery  and  infantry  on  McCall's  position,  followed  rapidly  by  a 
similar  one  on  us.  The  enemy,  in  great  force,  under  Longstreet  and 
Hill,  debouched  by  the  Newmarket  Road  in  our  front  and  deployed 
in  the  edge  of  the  woods  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  seemed  determined 
to  carry  that  position  and  capture  our  battery  at  all  hazards.  For 
a  long  time  we  were  the  only  regiment  of  the  division  actively 
engaged  as  the  point  of  attack  did  not  extend  farther  to  the  right 
than  the  ground  we  held,  whilst  to  the  left  it  extended  the  whole 
length  of  McCall's  position.  When  the  enemy  first  appeared  and 
began  its  advance  across  the  open  space  commanded  by  Captain 


134  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

Thompson's  guns,  the  Sixty-third  was  faced  about,  marched  a  few 
paces  to  the  rear,  and  ordered  to  lie  low  outside  in  the  edge  of  the 
field.  Here  we  then  remained  for  half  an  hour,  restive  under  shot 
and  shell  and  whistling  bullets,  which  we  could  not  answer.  We  had 
nothing'  to  do  but  watch  with  intense  interest  the  effect  of  Captain 
Thompson's  and  Lieutenant  Butler's  splendid  artillery  practice  in 
breaking  the  ranks  of  the  advancing  foe,  and  for  a  considerable  time 
holding  them  in  check.  The  enemy  maddened,  it  seemed  by  the 
unexpected  check,  formed  in  new  line  with  most  likely  new  troops, 
and  charged  with  a  run  and  a  yell  as  if  determined  to  reach  the 
battery  and  take  it,  cost  what  it  might.  Then  "Up!  up!  boys! 
charge!"  was  the  expected  command  of  Colonel  Hays,  and  away  went 
the  Sixty-third,  with  a  counter  yell  and  bristling  bayonets,  passing 
the  field  pieces,  and  bearing  down  with  a  rush  on  the  enemy  who, 
already  staggered  by  the  gaps  made  by  the  grape  and  canister  at 
close  range,  fell  back  and  sought  safety  in  the  woods.  The  Sixty- 
third  then  fell  back  and  took  a  position  close  in  front  of  the  muzzles 
of  the  field  pieces,  lying  low  so  that  the  artillery  could  fire  over  us, 
and  keeping  up  a  relentless  fire  upon  the  rebels  in  the  edge  of  the 
woods,  and  whenever  they  renewed  the  advance  in  the  open  fields,  as 
they  did  repeatedly  during  the  afternoon.  During  all  this  time  they 
were  subjected  to  a  galling  front  and  cover  fire  from  the  enemy's 
artillery  and  infantry  posted  in  the  woods  on  both  fronts  of  the 
exposed  position  we  were  to  hold.  About  6  o'clock  we  were  rein 
forced  by  a  part  of  the  Thirty-seventh  New  York  sent  by  General 
Kearney  to  our  assistance,  but  they  deployed  in  the  field  behind  us; 
the  iron  and  lead  hail  they  had  to  face  was  so  fearful  that  their 
officers  had  difficulty  in  getting  them  up  to  our  position  in  front  of 
the  guns. 

Three  times  before  darkness  clouded  the  sun  did  the  Sixty-third 
charge  upon  the  advancing  columns  of  the  enemy  and  drive  them 
back  before  the  guns.  All  the  time  Captain  Thompson  and  his  gal 
lant  men  were  handling  the  pieces  most  beautifully,  and  the  effect 
of  grape,  canister,  shrapnel,  and  solid  shot,  as  they  alternated  in 
the  fight,  was  absolutely  terrific,  opening  wide  lanes  in  the  advanc 
ing  columns  and  piling  the  ground  with  heaps  of  dead  and  wounded. 
At  sundown  Captain  Thompson  informed  Colonel  Hays  that  his 
ammunition  was  about  spent,  and  that  if  the  enemy  should  make 
another  charge  he  feared  he  might  lose  his  guns.  Just  then  a  fresh 
line  appeared  from  the  opposite  woods;  it  seemed  as  if  they  were 
ready  with  reserves,  constantly  brought  forward  to  replace  the  shat 
tered  ranks  of  regiment  after  regiment  that  had  attempted  to  take 
that  battery  and  failed.  'Give  them  another,  Captain,'  said  Colonel 
Hays,  'and  leave  the  rest  to  me.'  Captain  Thompson  withheld  his 
fire  until  the  enemy  had  advanced  about  half  way  and  then,  at  very 


STORY  OF  THE   SIXTY-THIRD   REMIMENT  135 

short  range,  opened  on  them  with  staggering  effect,  followed  by  the 
last  charge  of  the  .Sixty-third.  The  two  lines  met  at  the  negro  house 
in  the  field.  A  portion  of  the  rebel  line  gave  way  'at  first  and  fell 
back  towards  the  woods,  firing  as  they  retreated,  whilst  the  rest, 
under  cover  of  the  intervening  house  and  garden,  stood  their  ground 
for  awhile  until  driven  off  in  a  hand-to-hand  encounter.  Meantime 
the  exhausted  battery  was  withdrawn  and  replaced  by  DeRussey's, 
and  as  it  was  growing  dark,  Meagher's  Irish  Brigade  came  up  the 
road  at  the  double  quick,  and  the  Sixty-third  was  relieved  after  one 
of  the  hardest  fought  five  hours  of  the  war. 

Next  day,  at  Malvern  Hill,  the  regiment  had  not  so  prominent  a 
part  to  perform;  after  reaching  the  ground  near  Crew's  house  and 
resting  till  noon,  it  was  ordered  to  the  right  center  and  posted  in  a 
ravine  some  distance  in  the  rear  of  the  line  of  battle,  to  be  in  readi 
ness  to  support  them  if  required.  Their  only  annoyance  during  the 
day  was  from  shot  and  shell  from  the  enemy's  batteries  falling  among 
them,  but  the  casualties  were  few  and  light." 

Following  is  the  official  report  by  Colonel  Hays,  of  the  Bat 
tle  of  Malvern  Hill,  Va. : 

In  Camp,  near  Weston,  Va. 

July  4,  1862. 
Adjutant  General  First  Brigade,  Third  Division,  Third  Corps: 

Sir: — I  have  the  honor  to  furnish  the  following  statement  of  the 
movements  of  the  Sixty-third  and  Fifty-seventh  Regiments,  Penn 
sylvania  Volunteers,  combined,  which  I  had  the  honor  to  command 
on  the  1st  inst. 

After  undergoing  severe  shelling  from  the  enemy's  batteries  for 
several  hours,  in  which  the  Sixty-third  had  two  men  wounded,  and 
the  Fifty-seventh  one  commissioned  and  one  non-commissioned  killed, 
and  eight  men,  commissioned  officers  and  privates,  wounded,  the 
Sixty-third,  Fifty-seventh  Pennsylvania  and  Eighty-seventh  New 
York  Regiments,  were  detached  from  the  brigade,  and  ordered  to  sup 
port  Couch's  Division. 

Under  instructions  from  Brigadier  General  Kearney,  to  act  at 
discretion,  we  successfully  supported  a  battery  from  Couch's  Divis 
ion,  and  also  later  in  the  evening,  Captain  DeRussey's  Battery,  U.  S. 
Artillery,  until  his  ammunition  was  exhausted.  During  the  night 
strict  guard  was  kept  by  the  command.  At  daylight,  discerning  that 
Couch's  and  Kearney's  divisions  had  been  withdrawn,  I  fell  back, 
to  the  camp  of  the  day  before,  one  mile  in  the  rear. 

Here  I  received  a  request  from  Colonel  Averill,  of  the  cavalry,  to 
prepare  certain  Government  wagons  for  burning,  which  was  done, 


136  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

and  the  command  afterwards  marched  to  join  the  division  at  this 
point. 

In    the   support    of   DeRussey's    battery    the    Sixty-third    lost    two 
privates,  disabled.     No  other  casualties. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

ALEXANDER  HAYS, 
Col.   63rd  Regt.,  Pa.  Vols. 


CAPTAIN 

..CHARLES  WAV-HENRY. 

COMPANY  G. 


CAPTAIN 

H.JEFFRIE: 

COMPANY    H. 


CAPTAIN 

DAVID  C.CRAWFORD 

COMPANY    1. 


CAPTAIN 
DANIEL  DOU6HERT 
COMPANY    H. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

(From  June  30,  1862,  to  January  23,  1863.) 


AT  HARRISON'S  LANDING— THE  FOURTH  OF  JULY  IN  CAMP— IN  RETREAT, 
SECOND  BATTLE  OF  BULL  RUN— POOLSVILLE  AND  CONRADS'  FERRY — 
FORDING  THE  POTOMAC— BURNSIDE  IN  COMMAND  OF  THE  ARMY- 
BATTLE  OF  FREDERICKSBURG,  .BURNSIDE'S  MUD  MARCH. 


"OUR  LEFT" 
[Second  Bull  Run,  August  30,   1862.] 

From  dawn  to  dark  they  stood 
That  long  midsummer  day, 

While  fierce  and  fast 

The  battle-blast 
Swept  rank  on  rank  away. 

From  'dawn  to  dark  they  fought, 
With  legions  torn  and  cleft; 

And  still  the  wide 

Black  battle  tide 
Poured  deadlier  on  "Our  Left." 

They  closed  each  ghastly  gap; 

They  dressed  each  shattered  rank; 

They  knew — how  well — 

That  freedom  fell 
With  that  exhausted  flank. 

"Oh,  for  a  thousand  men 

Like  these  that  melt  away!" 
And  down  they  came 
With  steel  and  flame 
Four  thousand  to  the  fray! 

Right  through  the  blackest  cloud 

Their  lightning  path  they  cleft; 
And  triumph  came, 
With    deathless   fame 
To  our  unconquered  "Left." 

Ye  of  your  sons  secure, 

Ye  of  your  dead  bereft — 

Honor  the  brave 

Who  died  to  save 

Your  all  upon  "Our  Left." 

— Francis  0.  Ticknor. 


138  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

'""THE  army  was  safe  at  last,  and  the  terrible  struggle  that 
had  been  kept  up  since  the  25th  of  June  was  over.  We 
had  been  pressed  by  overwhelming  numbers,  allowed  no  time 
to  rest,  almost  without  sleep  for  a  week,  scarcely  allowed  to 
snatch  a  morsel  of  food,  fighting  every  day,  leaving  our  dead 
and  wounded  scattered  from  Games'  Mill  to  the  James  River, 
we  had  fought  our  way  out  of  the  very  jaws  of  destruction; 
is  it  any  wonder  that  we  cheered  joyfully  when  the  hitherto 
triumphant  enemy,  whipped  and  beaten,  was  in  full  flight? 

The  Confederate  Government  had  put  forth  its  mightiest 
effort  to  crush  McClellan,  and  had  failed.  Our  losses  in  these 
seven  days'  battles  are  given  at  fifteen  thousand,  but  the  enemy 
had  suffered  more  heavily. 

In  conversation  with  the  rebel  prisoners,  they  all  agreed  that 
the  Battle  of  Malvern  Hill  was  the  most  dreadful  affair  ever 
witnessed.  "Why,"  said  one,  "It  was  a  rain  of  bullets  and 
shells,  and  it's  a  wonder  how  one  of  us  escaped.." 

An  old  Virginian  said,  "This  war  is  not  natural,  it  is  like 
brothers  fighting,  but  we  will  never  give  up  now." 

A  big,  brawny  prisoner,  belonging  to  a  Texas  regiment, 
spoke  up  :  "Say,  look  here,  Yank,  we  whipped  you  every  day, 
from  Seven  Pines  to  Malvern  Hill;  we  made  you  hump  your 
selves,  and  will  keep  it  up,  too;  you  got  the  best  of  u§.at  Mal 
vern,  but  we  licked  you  six  days,  so  we  caiV  afford  to  stand 
one  defeat.  I  tell  you,  you  can  never  conquer  us." 

We  rested  that  night  on  the  field,  and  though  it  rained 
heavily,  so  worn  out  and  exhausted  were  we  that  we  slept 
soundly  with  the  rain  pelting  us  and  saturating  our  clothing. 
The  next  morning  we  moved  a  few  miles  down  the  river  to 
Harrison's  Landing,  where  we  went  into  camp.  The  sick,  and 
many  of  the  wounded,  where  brought  to  the  Landing,  car 
ried  on  board  transports  and  taken  to  hospitals  at  Philadel 
phia,  New  York  and  other  northern  cities. 

At  last  the  great  struggle  was  over,  and  McClellan's  tired 
and  battered  army  had  time  to  breathe  and  gain  strength  for 
more  desperate  struggles  that  were  yet  before  it. 

As  we  gathered  up  our  shattered  fragments,  after  the  Battle 


STORY   OF  THE   SIXTY-THIRD   REMIMENT  139 

of  Malvern  Hill,  only  two  hundred  and  seventy-eight  men  were 
fit  for  duty  out  of  over  one  thousand  that  had  started  out  a  few 
months  before.  Where  were  the  others?  In  the  gloomy  fens 
of  Yorktown,  on  the  bloody  field  of  Fair  Oaks  and  Seven  Pines 
many  had  laid  down  their  lives ;  in  the  pestilential  swamps  of 
the  Chickahominy  the  deadly  fever  had  carried  off  many  more, 
and  the  terrible  Seven  Days'  Battles  had  claimed  their  quota 
of  dead,  until  of  a  full  and  complete  regiment  of  stalwart  men, 
less  than  three  hundred  were  left  to  answer  roll  call. 

But  now  we  had  our  rest  and  in  the  conversations  around 
the  camp  fires,  the  talk  was  of  a  little  more  cheerful  character, 
and  we  began  to  see  light  ahead  and  still  discussed  our 
triumphant  entry  into  Richmond.  How  wisely  does  Heaven 
hide  the  future  from  our  view. 

The  night  after  we  had  arrived  at  Harrison's  Landing,  the 
rain  fell  in  torrents,  and  as  we  had  lost  our  blankets,  shelter 
tents,  overcoats  and  extra  clothing  at  Nelson's  Farm,  we  were 
without  protection  from  the  deluge,  but  notwithstanding  all 
this  we  slept  soundly,  not  heeding  the  pelting  of  the  rain  that 
soaked  every  thread  of  our  clothes,  so  utterly  worn  out  and 
exhausted  were  we,  suffering  for  sleep  and  rest.  The  morning 
broke  dark  and  dismal,  the  rain  still  fell  and  a  chilly  wind  came 
up  from  the  river  that  caused  us  all  to  shiver,  though  it  was 
the  2nd  day  of  July.  The  boys  were  a  bedraggled  set  of  hard- 
looking  creatures  and  cross ;  dear,  oh  dear,  how  they  did  growl 
and  grumble  and  "cuss"  as  they  tried  to  build  fires  with  the 
wet  soggy  wood,  blinding  themselves  with  smoke,  burning 
their  fingers,  and  then,  when  they  had  almost  succeeded,  the 
fire  would  give  a  gasp,  and  die  out ;  but  when  we  did  succeed, 
how  we  enjoyed  that  tin  of  black,  strong  coffee.  It  is  a  wonder 
our  stomach  were  not  ruined  by  the  dreadfully  strong  coffee 
we  used  to  gulp  dowrn. 

The  James  River  at  Harrison's  Landing  is  very  wide  and 
transports  were  enabled  to  come  close  to  the  shore,  laden  with 
army  supplies. 

The  army  was  strung  along  the  river  for  quite  a  distance 
and  reached  out  several  miles  from  the  shore.  The  Sixty- 


140  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

third  was  situated  about  two  miles  from  the  river  in  a  pleasant 
grove  of  young  pine  trees,  and  the  contrast  from  the  gloomy 
swamps,  where  we  had  been  cooped  up  for  so  long,  was  a  most 
pleasant  one,  but  after  we  had  established  our  camp,  the  ter 
rible  strain,  added  to  the  exposure  and  hardships  we  had 
endured,  began  to  tell  on  the  men  who  had  hitherto  retained 
their  health,  and  much  sickness  prevailed.  A  number  of  vol 
unteer  doctors  joined  us,  and  they  did  their  best  for  the  boys. 
The  change  from  the  poisonous  air  of  the  swamps  to  the  pure 
breezes  was  very  beneficial,  and  the  boys  began  to  recover 
rapidly  and  gain  vitality. 

It  was  here  that  Dr.  Whitesell,  of  Deer  Creek,  Pa.,  came  to 
us,  and  his  skill  and  kind  efforts  did  wonders  for  our  sick. 
He  was  a  noble  man,  but  while  doing  everything  in  his  power 
for  our  sick,  he  was  suddenly  stricken  down  and  died,  regretted 
by  all  in  the  Sixty-third  Regiment,  who  still  remember  him  and 
revere  his  memory. 

The  following  piece  of  doggerel,  written  by  the  inimitable 
Polk  McCullough  on  our  retreat,  notwithstanding  its  crudity, 
is  so  expressive  of  conditions  of  affairs  that  we  reproduce  a 
portion  of  it : 

"So  our  base  we  had  to  change 
Out  of  range,  and  our  trains 
Down  toward  the  River  James. 

They  were  sent  to  the  shore; 
Then  when  the  fight  begun 
There  was  fun  for  each  one, 
For  we  made  the  Johnnies  run — • 
Only  we  run  on  before. 

For  when  the  rebels  sought  us, 
Then  they  caught  us  and  they  fought  us, 
And  they  made  the  place  so  hot 
That  we  no  longer  there  could  stay. 
But  we  hurried  and  we  scurried 
And  we  ran  off  toward  the  river 
And  skedaddle  was  the  tune 
That  we  played  on  our  way." 

The  word  "skedaddle"  was  born  in  the  army,  and  became,  as 
it  \vere,  a  household  word  among  the  boys  who  used  it  on 


STORY  OF  THE   SIXTY-THIRD   REMIMENT  141 

every  occasion  to  denote  rapid  transit,  which  we  were  often 
compelled  to  perform. 

Friday  July  4th,  dawned  bright  and  clear,  one  of  those 
beautiful  days  which  we  sometimes  had  in  Virginia  and  which, 
with  the  many  dark,  murky  ones,  was  the  more  striking.  The 
air  was  balmy  and  mild,  the  sky  a  most  beautiful  blue,  and  the 
sun  brilliant  and  revivifying.  The  rain  drops  hung  like  jewels 
on  the  trees  and  the  beautiful,  blue  river  looked  like  a  mirror. 
It  was  just  the  kind  of  a  day  to  cheer  up  and  animate  the  bat 
tered  and  worn-out  soldiers,  who  soon  began  to  feel  its  influ 
ence,  and  then  we  remembered  that  k  was  the  great  National 
day,  the  glorious  Fourth  of  July.  As  we  sat  by  our  little  fires, 
getting  our  scanty  breakfasts,  our  minds  traveled  back  over 
the  past  year  to  the  previous  Fourth  of  July  and  we  found  it 
very  hard  to  realize  that  only  a  year  had  passed  away  since 
then.  What  startling  changes  had  taken  place ;  only  one  year 
ago  and  we  were  in  our  pleasant  homes  in  the  North,  where 
everything  was  quiet  and  peaceful.  War  was  then  only  an 
ideal  affair.  True,  we  were  all  talking  war,  and  expecting 
to  engage  in  it,  but  at  that  distance  it  had  a  more  romantic 
aspect  than  it  presented  now.  We  looked  upon  the  war  as  a 
grand  and  glorious  affair  in  which  we  would  all  signalize  our 
selves  by  deeds  of  bravery  and  with  a  succession  of  brilliant 
victories,  soon  achieve  a  grand  success  and  bring  the  struggle 
to  a  happy  termination.  In  short,  we  all  looked  upon  the  war 
as  a  glorious  pageant  in  which  the  waving  of  flags,  thrilling 
martial  music  and  all  the  pomp  and  pageantry  of  which  we 
dreamed, would  be  the  salient  poin':.  But  this  morning,  as  we 
sat  on  the  banks  of  the  mighty  JV.nes  River,  and  looked  at 
our  ragged  and  muddy  hosts,  and  remembered  all  we  had 
come  through  within  the  past  twelve  months,  our  ideas  of  war 
underwent  a  great  change. 

About  noon  a  National  salute  was  fired  by  the  artillery  in 
honor  of  the  day,  but 'the  enthusiasm  was  of  a  mild  type.  Dur 
ing  the  afternoon  a  transport  landed,  bringing  several  regi 
ments  up  from  Fortress  Monroe.  These  men  had  been  in  COITH 
fortable  quarters,  were  well  fed,  and  had  suffered  from  no 


142  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

exposure,  having  had  nothing  to  do  but  camp  duty.  They 
were  neat  and  clean,  their  uniforms  bright  and  new,  and  they 
presented  a  marked  contract  to  our  ragged  and  tough-looking 
men.  We  were,  without  a  doubt,  as  hard  a  looking  set  as  one 
could  meet  outside  the  rag  factory.  We  had  drawn  no  new 
clothing  for  a  long  time,  and  our  camping  in  the  swamps  and 
morasses  had  changed  our  uniforms  until  it  was  hard  to  tell 
what  had  been  their  original  color;  our  hair  and  beards  had 
grown  long  and  straggly,  our  faces  and  hands  had  become  so 
grimed  with  dirt  and  smoke  that  it  would  puzzle  one  to  tell 
if  we  were  whites  or  Aborigines.  Our  pantaloons  were  in 
fringes  from  the  knees  to  the  feet. 

When  the  new  regiments  stepped  off  the  boat  with  their 
neatly  polished  shoes,  their  clean  faces  and  tasty  uniforms,  our 
poor  ragged  devils  gazed  at  them  in  wonder  at  first,  and  then 
got  mad.  We  were  amused  at  some  of  the  boys  of  Irish 
extraction  and  the  remarks  they  made  as  they  stood  by  the 
side  of  the  road,  looking  at  the  new  comers  marching  by : 

"Look  at  the  Sunday  sojers!" 

"Aren't  they  the  purty  byes?" 

"Won't  the  ribils  run  whin  they  see  the  blackened  shoes 
comin'  at  thim?" 

"Oh,  well,"  said  another,  "Thank  hivin  it  won't  be  long  till 
they  git  the  polish  taken  off  thim." 

These  men  had  nothing  against  the  new  soldiers,  but  the 
contrast  between  their  appearance  and  that  of  themselves, 
caused  a  jealous  pang  to  take  possession  of  them,  and  they 
could  not  refrain  from  giving  vent  to  their  feelings. 

A  short  distance  from  the  landing  stood  a  large,  and  at  one 
time  elegant  mansion.  The  occupants  had  fled  at  the  approach 
of  our  army  and  gone  to  Richmond,  and  so  great  had  been 
their  haste  that  they  left  nearly  everything  behind.  The 
negroes  deserted  and  struck  out  for  themselves.  The  beautiful 
home  had  been  made  a  hospital,  and  the  spacious  rooms  were 
filled  with  wounded,  bleeding  and  dying  men.  The  costly  car 
pets  were  covered  with  mud,  and  presented  a  sight  that  would 
have  driven  the  owners  wild.  The  handsome  ornamental  trees 


STORY  OF  THE   SIXTY-THIRD   REMIMENT  143 

were  cut  down,  as  a  signal  station  had  been  built  on  the  roof 
and  they  obstructed  the  view  of  the  signal  men.  It  was  a  sad 
sight  to  see  such  a  valuable  property  thus  destroyed,  but  it 
was  the  fate  of  war. 

About  this  time  the  following  promotions  were  announced : 

First  Lieutenant  William  Smith  to  be  Captain  of  Company  A,  to 
date  from  July  26,  1862,  vice  Berringer,  discharged. 

Second  Sergeant  W.  P.  Hunker,  to  be  First  Lieutenant  Company  A, 
to  date  from  July  26,  1862,  vice  Smith,  promoted. 

Second  Sergeant  Samuel  L.  Paden,  to  be  Second  Lieutenant  of  Com 
pany  A,  to  date  from  July  26,  1862,  vice  Laufman,  discharged. 

First  Lieutenant  T.  L.  Maynard,  to  be  Captain  of  Company  B,  to 
date  from  June  19,  1862,  vice  Kirkwood,  promoted. 

Second  Lieutenant  James  S.  Powers,  to  be  First  Lieutenant  Com 
pany  B,  to  date  from  June  19,  1862,  vice  Maynard,  promoted. 

First  Sergeant  Robert  A.  Nesbit,  to  be  Second  Lieutenant  Company 
B,  to  date  from  June  19,  1862,  vice  Powers,  promoted. 

First  Lieutenant  G.  W.  Gray,  of  Company  I,  to  be  Captain  of  Com 
pany  C,  to  date  from  July  26,  1862,  vice  Taylor,  discharged. 

Third  Sergeant  William  J.  Thompson,  to  be  Captain  of  Company  D, 
to  date  from  July  26,  1862,  vice  Dunham,  discharged. 

Second  Lieutenant  G.  E.  Gross,  to  be  First  Lieutenant  of  Company 

D,  to  date  from  'July  26,  1862,  vice  Kline,  discharged. 

Second  Sergeant  Samuel  P.  Gamble,  to  be  Second  Lieutenant  of 
Company  D,  to  date  from  July  26,  1862,  vice  Gross,  promoted. 

First  Sergeant  William  J.  Marks,  to  be  Second  Lieutenant  Company 

E,  to  date  from  August  15,  1862,  vice  Anderson,  resigned. 

First  Lieutenant  George  W.  McCullough,  to  be  Captain  of  Company 

F,  to  date  from  August  4,  1862,  vice  Reid,  resigned. 

Second  Lieutenant  George  W.  Fox,  to  be  First  Lieutenant  Company 
F,  to  date  from  August  4,  1862,  vice  McCullough,  promoted. 

First  Sergeant  Andrew  C.  Critchlow,  to  be  First  Lieutenant  of 
Company  I,  to  date  from  July  26,  1862,  vice  Gray,  promoted. 

Fourth  Sergeant  David  C.  Crawford,  to  be  Second  Lieutenant  Com 
pany  I,  to  date  from  July  26,  1862,  vice  McMullen,  resigned. 

Second  Sergeant  Thomas  W.  Boggs,  to  be  Second  Lieutenant  Com 
pany  K,  to  date  from  July  26,  1862,  vice  Mowry,  resigned. 

Our  regiment  was  encamped  close  to  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  and  Fifty-seventh  Pennsylvania,  and  Twentieth  Indiana, 


144  UNDER  TH3  RED  PATCH 

and  we  settled  down  to  the  daily  routine  of  camp  life  and 
remained  in  this  place  until  August  i8th,  drilling,  and  building 
fortifications.  Our  life  in  the  present  camp  soon  began  to  have 
a  pleasing  aspect  for  the  boys.  We  lay  in  a  clean,  dry  place, 
and  received  wedge  tents,  which  were  a  great  improvement 
over  the  miserable  little  dog  tents  we  had  been  living  in.  Then 
Captain  Kames,  our  Brigade  Commissary,  had  field  ovens 
built,  and  in  place  of  the  mouldy,  wormy  hard  tack,  we  had 
sweet,  fresh  bread  every  day.  We  also  drew  new  clothing,  and 
once  more  we  were  "clothed  and  in  our  right  minds,"  and 
instead  of  resembling  scarecrows,  we  blossomed  out  neat,  natty 
and  clean  soldiers  again,  and  to  crown  all,  the  paymaster  came 
and  we  received  four  months'  pay.  The  sutlers  were  plentiful, 
and  we  had  some  money  to  purchase  luxuries,  such  as  butter, 
cove  oysters,  tobacco,  and  cheese.  Then  we  bought  flour  and 
tried  our  hand  at  what  the  boys  called  "flour  doings." 

On  the  other  side  of  the  river,  nearly  opposite  the  landing, 
stood  a  large  mansion  house  belonging  to  a  man  named  Ruffin, 
who  took  an  active  part  in  the  rebellion,  being  a  red-hot  seces 
sionist.  It  is  said  he  fired  the  first  gun  at  Fort  Sumter.  His 
house  stood  a  short  distance  back  from  the  river  and  was  com 
pletely  embowered  in  trees.  The  rebels  used  this  place  in  an 
attempt  to  work  some  mischief.  On  Thursday  night,  July 
3ist,  while  sleeping  quietly  in  our  tents,  suddenly,  about 
midnight,  we  were  startled  by  the  bang,  bang,  bang  of 
some  heavy  artillery  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  The 
enemy  had  placed  a  battery  at  Ruffin's  house  and  Were  throw 
ing  shells  and  solid  shot  into  our  lines  along  the  shore.  Our 
brigade,  being  some  distance  from  the  front,  did  not  suffer 
as  none  of  the  shots  reached  us,  but  those  troops  lying  close 
to  the  shore  caught  it.  The  men  swarmed  out  of  their  tents 
and  stood  around,  wondering  what  it  meant.  The  rebels  kept 
up  the  firing  for  some  time,  when  a  couple  of  gunboats,  lying 
just  below  the  landing,  steamed  up  and  opened  on  the  battery, 
and  in  a  short  time  silenced  the  rebel  fire. 

The  next  day  the  Ninth  Pennsylvania  Reserve  Regiment 
crossed  the  river  and  went  to  Ruffin's  house.  They  found 


STORY  OP  THE   SIXTY-THIRD  REMIMENT  145 

everything  in  confusion,  the  tables  had  been  set  for  a  big 
supper,  loaded  Avith  provisions ;  the  family  had  evidently  pre 
pared  a  good  meal  for  the  battery  boys  when  they  would  finish 
shelling  the  Yanks,  but  when  the  ponderous  shells  from  the 
gunboats  began  to  drop  among  them,  and  burst  in  their  midst, 
they  got  a  first-class  scare  and  fled,  leaving  everything.  The 
Ninth  boys  cleared  the  tables  and  carried  away  everything 
portable  and  then  cut  down  all  the  beautiful  trees  surrounding 
the  place,  making  it  impossible  to  conceal  any  more  rebel  bat 
teries. 

Colonel  Hays  had  a  rare  sense  of  humor,  and  many  times 
offenders  for  small  refractions  brought  before  him  secured 
their  release  unpunished,  owing  to  their  ready  wit.  A  member 
of  Company  D,  accused  of  stealing  and  killing  a  sheep,  the 
property  of  a  farmer  upon  whose  farm  the  regiment  was 
encamped,  was  brought  before  the  colonel  for  judgment.  When 
asked  for  an  explanation  he  remarked :  "You  see,  colonel, 
while  out  chopping  fire  wood,  this  lamb,  which  was  in  an 
adjoining  field,  attacked  me,  and  in  self:defense  I  killed  it,  and 
I  would  kill  this  sheep  or  any  other  man's  sheep  that  climbed 
over  a  fence  and  tried  to  bite  me."  With  a  significant  grin 
the  colonel  dismissed  the  case,  but  there  was  a  suspicious  smell 
of  roast  lamb  pervading  the  camp  that  evening. 

While  we  lay  at  this  place,  we  eagerly  scanned  the  news 
papers  to  learn  how  the  war  was  progressing  at  other  places. 
The  Philadelphia  Inquirer  was  the  soldier's  favorite,  though 
many  read  the  New  York  Tribune  or  the  Herald,  whilst  Frank 
Leslie's  and  Harper's  illustrated  weeklies  found  ready  sale 
among  the  boys  when  they  had  money  to  buy  them,  and  if  they 
had  not,  someone  generally  managed 'to  steal  one,  which  was 
passed  around  until  all  had  seen  it.  These  papers,  as  well  as 
other  mail  matter,  came  by  way  of  Fortress  Monroe  and  up 
the  James  to  Harrison's  Landing.  Each  regiment  had  a  man 
who  was  detailed  as  postmaster,  and  whose  duty  it  was  to  go 
once  a  day  and  lug  a  big  sack  of  mail  to  the  regiment  and  dis 
tribute  it.  Unlike  the  postmasters  of  the  present  day,  there 
were  not  eager  applicants  for  the  position,  and  when  the 


146  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

adjutant  detailed  a  man  for  the  position,  he  was  compelled  to 
serve,  and  generally  did  some  tall  swearing  in  consequence. 
Of  course  he  was  excused  from  other  duties,  such  as  drill, 
guard  mount,  etc.,  but  that  was  a  small  recompense  for  the 
annoyance  he  had  to  endure.  People  are  the  same  the  world 
over,  and  all  deem  it  a  privilege  to  growl  and  swear  at  the 
postmaster.  It  mattered  not  how  cold,  or  wet,  or  hot,  or  dis 
agreeable  it  might  be,  the  regimental  postmaster  must  always 
be  on  time ;  if  he  was  late  the  officers  would  give  him  a  blow 
ing  up  and  the  men  would  abuse  him.  When  he  arrived  in 
camp  with  his  mail  sack,  he  was  an  object  of  interest  to  all. 
Those  who  received  letters  were  satisfied  for  the  time,  and 
those  who  did  not  get  any,  apparently  seemed  to  think  it  was 
his  fault  and  expressed  their  opinion  of  him  in  a  manner  that 
was  not  at  all  complimentary.  Once  our  mail  carrier  fell  in  a 
creek  and  lost  his  sack,  and  how  he  was  cursed  and  abused. 
We  all  felt  certain  that  the  lost  sack  contained  letters  for  each 
one  of  us,  and  if  the  carrier  had  been  drowned  and  the  mail 
matter  saved,  we  would  have  been  much  better  satisfied. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  remark  that  we  eagerly  scanned  the 
papers  for  news  of  the  war,  and  as  we  read  how  our  armies 
were  gaining  victories  in  other  places,  it  made  us  angry  that 
such  was  not  our  lot.  Still  we  believed  that  as  soon  as  recup 
erated,  wre  would  go  on  and  capture  Richmond.  We  saw  by 
the  papers  that  General  Pope  had  been  called  from  the  west 
and  placed  in  command  of  McDowell's  army.  He  entered  on 
his  duties  the  very  day  we  began  the  terrible  Seven  Days' 
Battles. 

Life  began  to  grow  monotonous  to  us  at  Harrison's  Land 
ing  ;  we  were  thoroughly  rested  and  were  anxious  to  be  on  the 
tramp  again.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  soldiers  desire  to  be  on 
the  move,  as  soon  as  rested;  they  want  to  go  on,  and  become 
surly  and  restless,  and  want  a  change. 

On  Wednesday,  August  pth,  the  President  reviewed  the 
entire  Army  of  the  Potomac.  We  could  trace  his  progress  by 
the  firing  of  salutes,  and  the  cheering,  long  before  he  reached 
our  division.  We  were  ordered  into  line  about  5  o'clock  in  the 


STORY  OP  THE   SIXTY-THIRD   REMIMENT  147 

evening.  Kearney's  whole  division  was  in  line.  Soon  the 
President,  accompanied  by  his  body  guard  and  a  number  of 
generals,  came  up  our  line ;  we  had  a  good  view  of  him  as  he 
rode  by  holding  his  hat  in  his  hand.  As  he  passed  us  that 
evening,  his  face  lighted  up  by  the  setting  sun,  we  were  struck 
by  the  care-worn  expression  observed  on  his  countenance.  The 
men  cheered  him,  but  their  cheers  had  not  the  clear,  hearty 
ring  they  used  to  have.  But  when  the  idol  of  his  men  came, 
General  Phil  Kearney,  whom  the  rebels  called  the  "One-armed 
devil,"  his  entire  division  let  loose  with  cheers  that  woke  the 
echoes  of  the  dark  pine  woods.  We  knew  Kearney,  and  he 
knew  us,  and  each  knew  they  could  depend  upon  the  other. 

On  the  night  of  the  i6th  we  had  a  fearful  thunderstorm  and 
several  of  the  men  on  guard  were  killed  by  lightning.  Next 
day  orders  were  passed  to  pack  up  and  get  ready  to  march. 
The  boys  lost  their  listlessness  and  all  was  bustle  and  activity ; 
we  all  believed  that  we  were  going  to  take  up  the  march 
against  Richmond.  Had  we  known  that  we  were  about  to  take 
the  back  track  and  retrace  the  route  we  had  so  proudly 
traveled  six  months  before,  it  would  have  been  a  bitter  pill  to 
swallow. 

When  we  left  Harrison's  Landing,  we  took  a  route  that  led 
obliquely  to  the  left.  We  supposed  that  we  would  go  to  the 
James  River,  cross  on  transports,  and  march  up  on  the  other 
side  and  thus  advance  on  Richmond  by  that  route ;  that  is,  we 
private  soldiers  thought  so,  but  no  doubt  most  of  the  officers 
knew  where  we  were  going,  but  after  marching  several  hours, 
still  obliquing  to  the  left,  it  began  to  dawn  on  us  all  that  we 
were  not  going  the  way  we  expected  to  go,  and  the  men  could 
be  heard  saying:  "Surely  this  is  not  the  road  to  Richmond." 

On  we  went,  and  presently  we  came  in  sight  of  the  Chicka- 
hominy  River,  which  we  crossed  on  the  long  bridge,  and  by 
this  time  we  knew  that  we  were  leaving  the  peninsula  and 
heading  for  Fortress  Monroe.  Then  the  boys  began  to  growl. 
"Our  whole  summer's  work  gone  for  nothing,"  said  one.  Com 
pany  A  was  commanded  by  Captain  Billy  Smith,  a  brave  and 
good  man,  who  afterward  fell,  riddled  with  bullets,  at  Chancel- 


148  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

lorsville.  Billy  was  cross,  and  when  asked  what  he  thought 
of  the  present  move  he  angrily  replied : 

"To  think  that  we  were  actually  in  sight  of  Richmond  and 
might  have  taken  it  had  we  been  supported,  and  now  to  turn 
our  backs  on  it  and  go  off,  God  knows  where,  is  too  disgust 
ing." 

Toward  evening  we  halted  and  went  into  camp  alongside  of 
the  road.  On  either  side  of  us  was  a  dense  wood.  Soon  hun 
dreds  of  little  camp  fires  dotted  the  ground,  and  at  each  one, 
two  or  three  soldiers  were  making  coffee  in  their  tin  cups  and 
quarreling  with  each  other,  as  usual.  We  were  aroused  early 
by  the  bugle  call  and  snatched  a  hasty  breakfast  of  hard  tack 
and  coffee.  Just  as  we  fell  into  line  for  the  march,  one  of  those 
drizzling  rains  so  peculiar  to  that  country,  began  to  fall.  All 
day  long  we  marched  through  the  rain  and  every  stitch  of 
our  clothing  was  soaked  through  and  through.  Late  that 
evening  we  turned  into  a  bleak  field,  halted,  stacked  arms,  and 
prepared  to  pass  the  night  as  best  we  could.  It  was  a  night 
few  will  ever  forget.  Morning  came  at  length,  and  buckling 
on  our  accountrements,  we  splashed  on  through  the  deep  mud. 

About  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  struck  the  Williamsburg 
Road,  and  in  a  short  time  we  went  into  camp,  in  sight  of  the 
town.  The  sight  of  the  place  recalled  some  bitter  memories 
as  we  thought  how  triumphantly  we  had  marched  through  it 
in  May,  driving  the  rebels  before  us,  and  were  on  our  way  back 
to  Richmond.  Now  we  were  going  back,  not  whipped,  but 
discouraged  and  empty  handed.  The  march  down  the  river 
was  not  worth  recording,  as  nothing  of  any  note  transpired  on 
the  way. 

We  reached  Yorktown,  got  on  board  of  transports  and  were 
taken  to  Alexandria,  from  whence  we  were  hurried  out  on  the 
Orange  &  Alexandria  Railroad  to  try  and  save  Pope's  army, 
which  had  been  defeated  down  the  valley.  It  would  be  too 
tedious  to  follow  all  the  moves  of  the  Sixty-third  as  it 
meandered  by  Bealton  .Station,  Groveton,  and  other  points. 
On  the  morning  of  August  29th  we  found  ourselves  at  the 
Battlefield  of  Second  Bull  Run,  or  Groveton,  ready  to  take 


STORY  OF  THE   SIXTY-THIRD   REMIMENT  149 

part  in  that  sanguinary  struggle.  This  was  one  of  the  blood 
iest  fights  that  the  Sixty-third  had  yet  engaged  in.  Our  regi 
ment  numbered  now  only  three  hundred  men  fit  for  duty. 

Early  in  the  morning,  as  soon  as  we  had  eaten  breakfast, 
we  were  moved  by  the  left  flank  to  the  lower  end  of  a  long, 
sloping  field  covered  with  low  blackberry  bushes.  We  lay  here 
for  sometime.  From  here  we  could  see  General  Hooker  riding 
along  the  top  of  a  ridge  and  superintending  the  placing  of  a 
battery.  We  knew  we  would  have  some  hot  work  before  long. 
From  beyond  the  ridge  we  could  hear  the  roar  of  battle  getting 
louder  and  louder,  and  waited  anxiously  for  our  turn  to  come 
to  join  in  the  melee. 

At  last  an  orderly  came  galloping  down  the  slope.  He  gave 
some  orders  to  General  John  C.  Robinson,  who  commanded 
our  brigade,  and  immediately  the  bugle  called  attention,  and 
we  began  to  move  up  the  long  slope  of  the  field  toward  the 
crest.  As  soon  as  we  reached  the  top  we  received  a  heavy 
artillery  fire,  but  laid  down  and  waited  for  the  next  command. 
It  soon  came,  and  we  were  moved  obliquely  toward  the  woods 
to  the  left.  We  passed  over  the  ground  where  some  heavy 
fighting  had  been  done  during  the  forenoon. 

Alongside  the  road  on  which  we  were  traveling,  lay  a  rebel 
apparently  dead ;  he  had  long,  flaxen  hair  entangled  around  his 
head  and  shoulders ;  his  face  was  white  as  ivory,  and  he  was 
very  handsome.  As  we  passed  him  Robert  Morton,  of  Com 
pany  B,  remarked : 

"There  is  a  dead  rebel." 

The  dying  man  evidently  heard  the  remark  and,  raising  his 
head,  replied  in  a  tragic  voice : 

''Yes,  I'm  a  dead  rebel,"  and  instantly  fell  back  dead. 

We  moved  on  into  the  woods,  left  in  front  and  halted.  Col 
onel  Hays  was  sitting  on  his  horse  at  the  left  of  the  line.  Just 
then  we  saw  a  body  of  men  moving  in  a  direction  that  would 
bring  them  across  our  left,  but  owing  to  the  thick  underbrush 
and  trees,  we  could  not  see  them  distinctly.  We  supposed,  from 
their  position,  they  were  our  own  men,  and  did  not  pay  much 
attention  to  them.  General  Kearney  had  ridden  up  and  was 


150  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

conversing  with  Colonel  Hays,  when  Corporal  Strachan,  of 
Company  B,  who  had  been  sent  out  as  a  flanker,  came  running 
up  almost  breathless,  and  exclaimed : 

"General !  Get  out  of  this !  They  are  rebels,  and  you  will 
be  shot!" 

Kearney  leaned  down  to  his  horse's  neck  and,  peering  under 
the  branches  of  the  trees,  exclaimed  in  his  usual  jerky  style : 

"What!    Are  those  rebels?" 

"Yes,"  said  Strachan,  "and  there  are  lots  of  them." 

Kearney  studied  a  moment  and  then  exclaimed : 

"Colonel  Hays,  move  your  regiment  until  the  right  rests 
where  the  left  now  is,  and  charge,  and  the  day  is  ours." 

This  was  a  terrible  order,  sending  three  hundred  men  to 
charge  a  rebel  force  of  several  thousand,  with  no  supports 
available,  as  the  battle  was  raging  in  all  parts  of  the  field. 
Our  true  and  trusty  friends  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment  were  hotly  engaged  in  another  part  of  the  field,  so 
we  were  left  to  fight  it  out  alone.  The  charge  of  the  Sixty- 
third  against  that  rebel  line  was  one  of  the  most  daring  deeds 
of  the  war. 

Sergeant  R.  A.  Nesbit  was  directed  by  Colonel  Hays  to 
advance  to  what  he  considered  the  length  of  the  regiment,  and 
halt,  as  a  marker.  He  did  so,  and  we  moved  forward  by  the 
left  flank  until  we  reached  where  he  stood.  Halting  and  front 
facing,  we  dressed  the  line,  and  as  the  word  "Charge"  rang 
out  from  the  colonel,  we  dashed  forward  with  gleaming 
bayonets  and  loud  yells  on  the  enemy,  led  by  the  gallant  Hays. 
It  was  desperate  work.  The  enemy  waited  until  we  got  close 
up  and  then  poured  such  a  withering  volley  into  our  line  that 
it  seemed  to  shrivel  up  and  reeled  back.  Rapidly  rallying,  we 
made  another  effort  to  face  the  iron  storm,  and  again 
approached  close  to  the  rebel  line,  but  the  fire  was  too  murder 
ous  and  we  were  again  compelled  to  fall  back,  leaving  many 
of  our  dead  and  wounded.  Colonel  Hays  was  severely 
wounded,  having  one  leg  shattered,  and  compelled  to  retire. 
Major  Kirkwood  assumed  command  of  the  regiment,  and  after 
a  short  breathing  spell  we  again  charged.  This  time  we  almost 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  151 

reached  their  line,  but  their  fire  was  simply  terrible.  We  broke 
ranks,  and  every  man  took  to  a  tree,  sheltering  himself  as  well 
as  he  could,  loading  and  firing  as  rapidly  as  possible,  and  many 
a  poor  fellow,  as  he  stepped  from  behind  a  tree  to  deliver  his 
fire,  dropped  dead  in  his  tracks.  The  rebel  line  began  to  over 
lap  our  flanks  and  an  enfilading  fire  warned  us  that  we  must 
get  out  of  there  quickly,  or  not  one  would  escape.  Major 
Kirkwood  was  wounded  and  Captain  James  F.  Ryan  assumed 
command.  Another  charge  was  made,  and  Captain  Ryan  was 
wounded.  Flesh  and  blood  could  stand  such  butchery  no 
longer,  and  the  cry  was  made,  "Rally  on  the  colors !"  which 
was  done,  and  the  remnant  of  the  regiment,  carrying  their 
colors  proudly,  moved  off,  as  twilight  was  settling  down  upon 
the  field,  worn  out  with  desperate  fighting,  with  only  seventy- 
five  men  fit  for  duty.  Soon  the  din  of  battle  ceased  and  the 
terrible  Second  Battle  of  Bull  Run,  one  of  the  bloodiest  of  the 
war,  and  one  no  member  of  the  Sixty-third  will  ever  forget, 
was  over. 

The  charge  of  the  Light  Brigade  at  Balaklava  has  been 
immortalized  in  song  and  story,  but  looking  at  it  calmly,  with 
out  any  gildings  of  romance,  the  three  charges  of  the  three 
hundred  men  of  the  Sixty-third  Regiment  against  the 
entrenched  line  of  the  enemy,  over  five  thousand  strong,  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  was  every  whit  as  desperate  and  daring. 
They,  as  well  as  Captain  Nolan's  six  hundred,  knew  it  was  a 
mistake,  but — 

"Their's  not  to  reason  why, 
Their's  not  to  make  reply, 
Their's  but  to  do  and  die." 

And  nobly  they  obeyed  the.  orders  that  hurled  them,  a  mere 
handful  with  no  supports,  against  an  overwhelming  force,  not 
once,  but  three  times,  and  they  never  once  faltered. 

Our  enemy  did  not  pursue  us,  and  the  battle  was  over ;  our 
men  held  the  field  but  nothing  had  been  gained  by  this  fight, 
save  that  the  shattered  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  saved  Pope 
and  his  army  from  being  hurled  back  to  the  Potomac,  and  had 
prevented  Lee's  victorious  troops  from  advancing  on  Wash 
ington.  We  lay  for  a  short  time  in  the  field,  and  then  moved 


152  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

back,  crossing  a  small  stream  called  Cub  Run,  and  moving  a 
short  distance  on,  encamped  for  the  night.  Next  day  we  joined 
the  remainder  of  the  brigade  and  at  dark  were  sent  out  as  a 
skirmish  line. 

The  following  is  the  official  report  of  Second  Bull  Run,  or 
Groveton : 

Groveton,  August   30,   1862. 
Bivouac  of  the  Sixty-third  Regiment 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  near  Battlefield, 

General: — I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  the 
operations  of  the  Sixty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  on  yesterday, 
the  29th  instant: 

Early  in  the  morning,  moved  from  Centerville  with  the  balance 
of  the  brigade  (Robinson's  First  Brigade,  Kearney's  Division)  pro 
ceeding  some  five  miles  the  regiment  was  formed  in  line  of  battle, 
and  moved  forward  across  open  fields  and  creek  to  woods,  through 
which  we  deployed.  Ordered  to  the  support  of  brigade  commanded 
by  Colonel  Poe,  which  occupied  a  front  on  the  right  of  that  to  which 
we  advanced.  While  in  this  position  received  a  severe  shelling  from 
a  battery  of  the  enemy  on  the  left  of  Colonel  Poe's  command.  We 
suffered  a  loss  of  one  man  killed,  and  two  wounded.  After  being 
ordered  to  a  position  on  the  right,  still  supporting  Colonel  Poe,  the 
regiment  was  withdrawn,  and  moved  to  the  left,  resting  in  line  of 
battle  in  edge  of  woods,  looking  upon  fields.  After  a  lapse  of  about 
an  hour,  General  Kearney  ordered  Colonel  Hays,  with  the  Sixty-third 
Regiment  and  'One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  to 
cross  the  fields  in  front,  deploy  through  woods  to  left,  and  intercept 
bodies  of  the  enemy  who  were  annoying  General  Hooker's  right  flank. 
This  was  done  and  the  regiment  formed  in  line  of  battle  at  the  "rail 
road  cut,"  and  rested.  An  error  in  some  command  on  our  left,  and 
a  miscellaneous  fire  in  our  front,  caused  a  slight  confusion  in  the 
Sixty-third,  and  misinterpretation  of  an  order  issued  just  at  that 
time  by  Colonel  Hays.  This  was  speedily  remedied,  and  the  regiment 
occupied  its  old  position  without  disorder.  Immediately  after  Gen 
eral  Kearney  ordered  the  Sixty-third,  with  the  Twentieth  Indiana, 
and  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Pennsylvania,  to  proceed  up  the  railroad 
cut,  deploy  to  the  left,  "give  the  enemy  a  fire  and  charge  them,"  and 
endeavor  to  drive  them  from  their  position  on  the  railroad.  In  doing 
this  we  encountered  a  large  force  of  the  enemy  coming  down  the 
railroad.  Opening  fire  and  advancing  on  them,  a  terrible  conflict 
ensued,  which  lasted  over  an  hour,  our  loss  being  very  great.  As  the 
enemy  took  a  position  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  railroad,  concealed 


OF    THfc 


UNIVERSITY 
or  > 


CAPTAIN 

WILLIAM  H.BRO 

GOfAPANY 


CAPTAIN 

CHARLESW.CHAPMAN. 

COMPANY   K. 


CAPTAIN 

GEORGE  B.  CHALMERS 

COMPANY 


DRUMMER 

THOMAS  FJOHNSTO 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  153 

by  the  ground  thrown  from  the  railroad  cut,  they  could  not  be  driven 
from  the  front,  and  we  were  subsequently  forced  to  retire,  being 
almost  out  of  ammunition,  and  our  effective  force  being  reduced  to 
one-half  the  number  we  came  upon  the  field  with. 

GEO.  P.  CORTS, 
Adj't.  Sixty-third  P.  V. 

Enlisted  men  for  duty — Privates,  277;;  Sergeants,  23; 

Corporals,  33 333 

Officers  for  duty — Lieutenants 15 

Field  and  staff 4 

Non-commissioned  staff 5 

Total 357 

There  had  been  considerable  fighting  at  a  place  called 
Chantilly,  a  mere  cluster  of  three  or  four  houses,  that  lay 
between  us  and  Fairfax.  As  darkness  began  to  settle  down,  a 
terrible  storm  came  up  and  raged  for  sometime,  and  that  even 
ing  General  Kearney  was  killed  at  Chantilly,  while  recon- 
noitering.  The  death  of  this  heroic  man  was  a  fearful  shock 
to  the  boys  of  his  division,  as  we  all  dearly  loved  the  brave, 
impetuous  and  fiery  Kearney. 

The  Union  losses  at  the  Second  Battle  of  Bull  Run,  accord 
ing  to  history,  were  as  follows : 

Killed,  1,481;  wounded,  7,627;  captured,  89;  total,  9,197. 

Kearney,  in  his  official  report  of  the  battle,  at  the  close  of 
the  first  day's  fight,  says :  "The  Sixty-third  Pennsylvania  and 
the  Fortieth  New  York  suffered  the  most  of  any.  The  gallant 
Hays  badly  wounded."  That  was  the  last  report  ever  made  by 
that  intrepid  officer. 

After  the  death  of  Kearney,  the  entire  division  was  ordered 
to  Washington,  where  we  lay  at  Arlington  for  thirty  days, 
recruiting  our  decimated  ranks  and  enjoying  a  season  of  much- 
needed  rest. 

Previous  to  severing  his  connection  with  the  regiment,  Col 
onel  Hays  had  the  following  statement  made  up,  showing  the 
casualties  in  the  Sixty-third,  from  its  organization  to  Septem 
ber  i,  1862: 


154  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

ON  PICKET  DUTY  NOVEMBER  i,  1861. 

COMPANY  G. 
KILLED — Private  Jacob  Gardner;  first  man  killed  in  the  regiment. 

SKIRMISH  NEAR  POHICK  CHURCH,  MARCH  5,  1862. 

FIELD  AND   STAFF. 
KILLED — Quartermaster  James  M.  Lysle. 

COMPANY  G. 
KILLED — Private  Cyrus  G.  Moore. 

COMPANY  K. 

KILLED — Captain  C.  W.  Chapman. 
WOUNDED — Private  Robert  Ferguson. 

IN  FRONT  OF  YORKTOWN,  VA.,  APRIL  9,  1862. 

COMPANY  F. 
KILLED — Sergeant  David  Irwin. 

IN  FRONT  OF  YORKTOWN,  VA.,  APRIL  n,  1862. 

COMPANY  A. 
KILLED — Private  Joseph  Thompson. 

COMPANY  C. 
WOUNDED — Private  Thomas  Brooks. 

COMPANY  K. 
KILLED— Private  Eliphalet  Crow. 

BATTLE  OF  FAIR  OAKS,  MAY  31,  1862. 

FIELD   AND   STAFF. 

WOUNDED — Lieutenant  Colonel  A.  S.  M.  Morgan;  Adjutant  George 
P.  Corts. 

COMPANY  A. 

KILLED — Corporal  John  McCut-cheon;  Private  John  Wilson,  Fred 
erick  Shilling,  Frederick  Sallada,  Nathaniel  Lowry,  Robert 
Linden,  James  Maxwell  and  John  McC.  Taggart. 

WOUNDED — Corporals  Jesse  Morris  and  Charles  McCosh;  Privates 
Peter  Hamill,  William  Bittner,  John  Boyle,  Milton  Barnett, 
Francis  Dunbar,  Jonathan  Jamison,  James  Miles,  Henry  Moffitt, 
Daniel  Oskins,  Samuel  Stout,  James  Trout,  Henry  Tomer,  and 
Samuel  White. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  155 

MISSING  IN  ACTION — Privates  William  Wilson  and  Mathias  Hessey. 

COMPANY  B. 

KILLED — Private  Thomas  McWilliams. 

WOUNDED — Corporals  'John  L.  Hays  and  Andrew  Rihn;  Privates 
Michael  Ferguson,  George  W.  Duncan,  William  Tepfer,  William 
LaFever,  John  Moyle,  Robert  McPherson,  and  Samuel  McGill. 

COMPANY  C. 

KILLED — First  Lieutenant  Henry  Hurst. 

WOUNDED — Corporal  David  H.  Gibson;  Privates  Asa  B.  Ecoff, 
George  Gibson,  'James  H.  Hays,  John  Shook,  Henry  Schiff  hoer. 

COMPANY  D. 

KILLED — Private  James  Casey. 

WOUNDED — Sergeants  J.  H.  Miller  and  Samuel  P.  Gamble;  Cor 
poral  William  W.  Peters;  Privates  Arthur  Ballou,  J.  C.  Gray, 
George  Hall,  William  J.  Kennedy,  James  A.  McCafferty,  and 
James  McAdams. 

MISSING  IN  ACTION — Geo.  Kirkpatrick. 

COMPANY  E. 

KILLED — Sergeant  Thomas  'J.  Coates;  Privates  Robert  Aiken,  Wil 
liam  D.  Frailey,  Joseph  Boynon,  John  Fleming,  and  John  A. 
Emerick. 

WOUNDED — Captain  John  A.  Danks;  Corporals  John  Blair  and 
George  W.  Allison;  Privates  David  D.  Mahaffey,  Thomas  A. 
Miller,  John  Callahan,  J.  Milton  Boyd,  and  Peter  Young. 

MISSING  IN  ACTION — Corporal  Thomas  J.  Davis;  Privates  Robert 
M.  Boyd,  and  William  P.  Lee. 

COMPAI'Y   F. 

KILLED — Orderly  Sergeant  Joshua  H.  Delo;  Sergeant  Robert  S. 
Elgin;  Private  George  W.  Rhees. 

WOUNDED — Privates  Francis  P.  McCloskey,  James  McCammon, 
Peter  Nugent,  and  Peter  O'Neil. 

MISSING  IN  ACTION — Privates  James  McDonald,  and  Andrew  Mc 
Donald. 

COMPANY  G. 

KILLED — Corporal  George  A.  Cook;  Privates  Charles  France,  Hugh 
McConnell,  Henry  B.  Gross,  and  A.  W.  Wilhelm. 

WOUNDED — Sergeant  R.  M.  Brown;  Second  Lieutenant  Isaac  Moor- 
head;  Corporal  William  M.  Smith;  Privates  James  S.  Gates, 
Loben  Russell,  John  M.  Thomas,  William  D.  Frailey. 


156  UNDER    THE   RED   PATCH 

COMPANY   H. 

KILLED — Privates    Patrick    Farrell,    Philip     McDermott,     Nicholas 

Hartie  and  John  Rodgers. 
WOUNDED — Second     Lieutenant     William     H.     Jeffries;      Sergeant 

Charles    McMahon;     Corporal    James    Jones;     Privates    Ezekiel 

Crane,    Michael    Carroll,    Patrick   Gormley,   William   Whiteside, 

and  Peter  Whelan. 

COMPANY  I. 
KILLED — Privates    William    Day,    Robert    F.    Gould,    and    Patrick 

O'Neil. 
WOUNDED — Captain 'James  F.  Ryan;  Privates  Winfield  I.  Davis,  Levi 

B.  Scott,  and  George  Soles. 

COMPANY  K. 
WOUNDED — First    Sergeant    George    B.    Chalmers;    Privates    Henry 

Harris,  and  Samuel  Shallenberger. 
MISSING  IN  ACTION — Privates  James  Connolly,  John  Heckman,  and 

Morgan  Eaton. 

BATTLE  OF  THE  ORCHARDS,  OR  SEVEN  PINES, 
JUNE  25,  1862. 

COMPANY  D. 
WOUNDED — Private   John   Harvey. 

COMPANY  E. 

KILLED — Privates  John  Ford  and  'John  Huggins. 
WOUNDED — Private  William  J.  McClarren. 

COMPANY  F. 

KILLED — Private  William  A.  Greenawalt. 

WOUNDED — Privates  Anthony   Greenawalt,   Philip   D.    Griffin,   and 
John  Johnston. 

COMPANY  G. 

KILLED — First  Lieutenant  S.  Hays  Cochran. 

COMPANY  H. 

WOUNDED — Corporal    Patrick    Fisher;     Privates    Lawrence    Lynn, 
James  McGraw,  and  Jacob  Schuler. 

BATTLE  OF  NELSON'S  FARM,  OR  GLENDALE, 
JUNE  30,  1862. 

FIELD  AND   STAFF. 
WOUNDED — Quartermaster  William  N.  Haymaker. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  157 

COMPANY  A. 

KILLED — David  B.  Ludwig. 
WOUNDED — Privates  Joseph  P.  Wolfred  and  'John  Haymaker. 

COMPANY  B. 

WOUNDED — Corporal  William  McCutcheon;  Privates  John  Baird, 
William  C.  Clark,  Joseph  Clowes,  and  Edward  E.  McCorkle. 

COMPANY  C. 
WOUNDED — Privates  Frank  L.  Graham,  Henry  Kettenburg,  Henry 

Kelly,  and  Sandy  C.  McLaughlin. 
MISSING  IN  ACTION— Private  George  Castler. 

COMPANY  D. 
KILLED — Privates  Robert  McPherson,  Samuel  Gill,  William  Smith, 

and  William  McMunn. 
WOUNDED — Corporal  Elijah  Hall;  Privates  A.  >J.  Clark,  John  Fagan, 

Edward  McCaffrey,  John  J.  Neeper,  Aaron  Robbins,  J.  C.  Green, 

A.  J.  Parke. 

COMPANY  E. 

KILLED — Corporal  C.  W.  Miller. 

WOUNDED — Corporal  Henry  Williams;  Privates  Thomas  B.  Jones, 
Ralph  H.  Dawson,  Thomas  Power,  and  John  G.  Robinson. 

COMPANY  F. 

WOUNDED — Privates  John  Thompson,  Charles  Harbst,  and  Jacob 
T.  Delo. 

COMPANY  G. 

KILLED — Corporal  D.  R.   George;    Private  David  W.  Coursin. 
WOUNDED — Privates  Samuel  Rhodes,  J.  A.  Sell,  and  A.  H.  G.  Wil- 
helm. 

COMPANY  H. 

KILLED — Privates  Chester  N.  Clark,  and  Richard  Cochran. 
WOUNDED — Corporal  John  W.  F.  Johnston;    Privates  Patrick  Lar- 
kins,  John  McAnulty,  James  Smith,  and  Hugh  Gibbons. 

COMPANY  I. 

KILLED — Second  Sergeant  George  W.  Mansfield;  Privates  James. 
Whitesell,  and  John  Whitesell. 

WOUNDED — Captain  James  F.  Ryan;  Second  Lieutenant  David  C. 
Crawford;  Second  Sergeant  George  Soles;  Privates  Bailey  Cook, 
Alexander  D.  Foster,  Joel  T.  Painter,  and  John  Kempff. 


158  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

COMPANY  K. 

WOUNDED — Captain  Theodore  Bagley;  Sergeant  Robert  Stanford; 
Privates  'John  M.  'Smith,  William  H.  Shaner,  Reuben  George, 
John  Williard,  Stewart  Hodge,  James  Carney,  William  Davis, 
William  Drake,  and  Robert  Dunham. 

BATTLE  OF  MALVERN  HILL,  VA.,  JULY  i,  1862. 

COMPANY  D. 
WOUNDED — Private  Francis  Toner. 

COMPANY  H. 
WOUNDED — Private  Joseph  O'Brien.- 

BATTLE  OF  BRISTOE  STATION,  VA.,  AUGUST  27,  1862. 

COMPANY  A. 
WOUNDED — Private  John  Lehmyer. 

COMPANY  D. 
WOUNDED — Private  James  McGeary. 

BATTLE  OF  SECOND  BULL  RUN,  OR  GROVETON, 
AUGUST  29,  1862. 

FIELD   AND   STAFF. 

WOUNDED — Colonel  Alexander  Hays;  Lieutenant  Colonel  William 
S.  Kirkwood. 

COMPANY  A. 

WOUNDED — Privates  David  Free,  James  Miller,  Wilmore  Morris, 
James  McAtee,  William  Trout,  and  John  Ward. 

COMPANY  B. 

KILLED — Private  Cyrus  Wills. 

WOUNDED — Sergeant  Edward  T.  Saint;  Privates  John  Gray,  John 
Klinefelter,  and  William  Clark. 

COMPANY  C. 
KILLED — Privates  William  Bliss,  John  A.  McWilliams,  and  'John 

Stone. 
WOUNDED — Corporal  Daniel  Stone;  Private  John  Waterson. 

COMPANY  D. 

KILLED — Privates  James  McClain  and  Michael  Purcell. 
WOUNDED — Sergeant  W.  J.  Robinson;  Privates  Davis  Glass,  Thomas 
Glass,    James    McAdams,    David    McCreary,    John    Moore,    J.    C. 
Trimble  and  John  C.  Gray. 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  159 

COMPANY   E. 

KILLED — Second  Lieutenant  William  J.  Marks;  Privates  Thomas  A. 
Miller,  John  Cooper,  James  W.  Gilbraith,  Christopher  Fisher, 
Samuel  Porter,  and  Benjamin  Patton. 

WOUNDED — Privates  James  A.  Powers,  Ralph  H.  Dawson,  Alfred  H. 
Jones,  Samuel  R.  Baldwin,  James  A.  Bateman,  and  Jerome  R. 
Lingle. 

COMPANY  P. 

KILLED — Sergeant  John  R.  Guthrie;  Privates  Henry  Shoup  and 
John  Thompson. 

WOUNDED — Corporals  James  Whaley  and  Thomas  H.  Martin;  Priv 
ates  Joseph  S.  Elder,  A.  T.  Ronce,  Martin  Castner,  Daniel  O'Neil, 
James  Sample,  John  G.  Richards,  and  Eliphas  Highberger. 

COMPANY  G. 

WOUNDED — Sergeant  A.  W.  Gilmore;  Privates  William  H.  Green 
and  Asa  O.  Douglass. 

COMPANY   H. 

KILLED — Privates  Patrick  Gallagher,  John  McCullough,  Samuel  R. 
WToods,  David  Cannon,  John  Johnston,  John  Hill,  and  Edward 
McGinness. 

WOUNDED — Sergeant  Matthew  Kane;  Corporal  William  P.  Wamp- 
ler;  Privates  William  H.  Marshall,  James  Redmond,  Patrick 
Collins,  Thomas  Crampton,  John  Cannon,  Simon  P.  Dellman, 
Patrick  Dugarry,  James  Dowling,  James  Priel,  David  Griffiths, 
Hugh  Hagan,  Michael  Kelly,  and  John  Woods. 

COMPANY   I. 
KILLED — Third  Sergeant  William  Stacy;   Privates  Robert  P.  Gould 

and  Samuel  Grubaugh. 
WOUNDED — Captain  James  P.  Ryan;  Second  Sergeant  George  Soles; 

Third  Sergeant  John  H.  Hoffman;  Fifth  Sergeant  Joseph  Evans; 

Corporal   William    Sample;    Privates   William    Brown,    John    N. 

Gamble,  James  Irwin,   John  Keough,   Peter   Lafferty,   Fauntley 

Muse,  John  Pritchard,  Joel  T.  Painter,  Robert  Wiper,  John  S. 

Wolff,  and  William  Wigham. 

COMPANY  K. 

KILLED — Sergeant  Thomas  W.  Boggs;  Privates  Daniel  Young,  Rob 
ert  Westermann,  John  G.  Green,  and  Jacob  Keith. 

WOUNDED — Corporals  James  M,enold  and  Edward  Bindley;  Privates 
Robert  Dunham,  Robert  Orr,  Thomas  Scully,  Miles  McCullough, 
Henry  Hensel,  Reuben  George,  and  George  Hilterbrand. 

MISSING  IN  ACTION — Privates  A.  J.  Moots  and  Robert  Hodge. 


160  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

During  the  time  the  battered  up  Kearney  Division  lay  at 
Arlington  Heights,  the  rest  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was 
busy  at  other  places.  The  Battles  of  South  Mountain  and 
Antietam  were  fought  on  September  I4th  and  I7th,  and  it 
was  rather  pleasant  for  us  to  lie  quietly  in  camp  while  the  rest 
of  the  boys  wrere  doing  the  fighting.  It  was  so  easy,  as  we 
read  the  reports  of  those  battles,  to  discuss  the  action  of  our 
troops ;  we  never  knew  before  how  nice  it  was  to  criticise.  No 
wonder  the  brave  stay-at-home  people  used  to  say,  as  they  sat 
at  their  comfortable  fires  during  the  winter  of  '61  and  '62 : 
"Why  don't  the  army  move?"  We  felt  the  same  way  as  we 
sat  under  the  shade  trees  around  the  mansion  of  General  Lee, 
at  Arlington,  and  often  asked  the  question,  "Why  don't 
McClellan  hurry  up  and  lick  the  Johnnies?" 

Our  ranks  began  to  fill  up  with  recruits  and  men  who  had 
been  discharged  from  hospitals,  until  we  numbered  three  hun 
dred  men,  and  we  had  a  good  rest  and  again  were  fit  for  duty. 
On  October  nth  we  fell  into  ranks,  and  with  reluctance  left 
our  beautiful  Arlington  camp.  Our  destination  was  Pools- 
ville,  Md.,  where  we  were  expected  to  do  scouting  service  and 
watch  the  predatory  bands  of  Confederates  that  were  making 
the  raids  across  the  Potomac  into  Maryland,  and  carrying  off 
live  stock  and  provisions.  It  wyas  a  beautiful  autumnal  day  as 
we  marched  out  of  camp  and  descended  by  the  winding  road 
toward  the  long  bridge  that  crosses  the  Potomac,  and  con 
tinued  on  toward  Poolsville.  As  usual,  while  we  were  on  the 
march,  the  weather  took  a  sudden  change  and  a  cold  rain 
began  falling.  It  sounded  like  old  times  to  hear  the  boys 
growling  and  grumbling  again. 

Poolsville  was  an  insignificant  village  of  about  two  hun 
dred  or  three  hundred  people,  who  were  not  over  friendly  with 
the  soldiers  whom  they  evidently  thought  were  men  who 
needed  pretty  close  watching.  Lieutenant  Bob  Nesbit  went 
into  the  village,  and  when  he  returned, -his  haversack  and  all 
his  pockets  were  stuffed  with  eatables,  and  as  none  of  us  had 
a  cent  of  money  at  the  time,  it  was  a  mystery  how  he  procured 
them.  That  recalls  an  incident  that  occurred  while  we  lay 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  161 

on  the  peninsula.  Billy  Bitner,  a  jolly  Dutchman  of  Company 
A,  came  into  camp  with  a  huge  side  of  smoked  bacon,  and 
when  asked  how  he  got  it,  said  he  had  borrowed  it,  and  when 
we  laughed  at  his  story,  he  said :  "Honest  as  I  live,  boys,  I 
borrowed  it  from  an  old  rebel  farmer ;  only  I  had  to  knock  the 
old  son  of  a  gun  down  with  the  butt  of  my  musket  before  he 
would  consent  to  it."  Perhaps  the  lieutenant  had  also  bor 
rowed,  in  the  same  way,  what  he  had  brought  in. 

On  October  I5th  we  moved  to  Conrad's  Ferry,  about  six 
miles  from  Poolsville,  and  in  a  short  time  marched  to  the 
Monocacy,  a  stream  that  flows  into  the  Potomac  from  the 
Maryland  side.  Here  we  did  picket  duty  and  watched  the 
rebel  cavalry  from  the  Virginia  side  to  prevent  them  from  cut 
ting  the  Chesepeake  and  Ohio  Canal  and  destroying  the  acque- 
duct  which  they  had  several  times  attempted  to  do. 

On  a  rise  of  land  above  the  mouth  of  the  creek  was  a  log 
building,  used  as  a  block  house,  and  here  we  made  our  head 
quarters.  Captain  Maynard,  of  Company  B,  who  had  been 
away  on  recruiting  service  since  June  ist,  rejoined  the  regi 
ment  at  this  place.  The  captain  was  a  brave  man,  but  was 
as  particular  about  his  appearance  as  a  young  man  on  his 
wedding  day,  and  was  remarkably  fastidious  in  his  habits. 
When  he  returned  he  had  on  a  spick  and  span  new  uniform, 
and  everything  about  him  was  clean  and  bright.  He  was  even 
perfumed,  and  the  old  boys  looked  at  him  in  disgust.  Well, 
he  slept  in  the  block  house  that  night,  and  the  next  day  he 
asked  Lieutenant  Nesbit  how  to  account  for  an  uneasy  feeling 
he  experienced,  having  an  itching  that  was  intolerable.  Bob 
had  no  trouble  in  explaining  it,  for  he  had  been  there  as  well 
as  the  rest  of  us,  so  he  said  to  Maynard :  "Why,  captain,  you 
have  the  gray-backs ;  the  building  is  polluted  with  them/' 
Had  he  told  the  captain  he  had  the  cholera  or  smallpox  he 
would  not  have  been  so  badly  horrified. 

On  October  28th  we  left  here  and  again  took  up  the  line  of 
march.  We  forded  the  Potomac  at  a  place  called  White's 
Ford.  The  weather  was  very  cold,  and  thin  ice  had  formed 
along  the  edge  of  the  stream,  making  it  a  very  disagreeable 


162  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

task  to  wade  through  the  icy  water;  and  then  might  have  been 
heard  some  tall  growling  and  swearing  by  the  boys.  Some 
took  off  their  clothing,  while  others  waded  across  with  their 
clothing  on.  Those  who  undressed  were  all  right  after  cross 
ing,  while  those  who  did  not,  suffered  severely  with  their  wet 
clothing. 

A  most  laughable  incident  occurred  here.  In  Company  C 
there  was  a  big,  strapping  Dutchman,  who  went  by  the  name 
of  Dutch  Honnis.  He  must  have  been  born  cross,  for  a  more 
ill-natured  fellow  never  lived ;  always  ready  to  quarrel ;  noth 
ing  ever  pleased  him,  and  in  swearing  he  could  beat  the  old- 
time  stage  driver.  When  we  approached  the  river  shore  and 
found  that  we  would  have  to  wade  through  the  icy  water, 
Honnis  indulged  in  one  of  his  usual  soliloquies,  and  after 
relieving  his  feelings,  undressed.  Tying  his  clothes  on  the  top 
of  his  knapsack,  he  waded  into  the  stream.  He  kept  up  a 
monotonous  swearing  as  he  went  along,  and  when  he  reached 
the  middle  of  the  fording,  where  the  water  was  about  four  feet 
deep,  he  stepped  on  a  round  stone  and  fell  headlong,  being 
entirely  submerged  in  the  chilly  water.  When  he  scrambled 
to  his  feet  he  was  drenched  from  the  head  to  feet,  and  the 
water  poured  out  of  the  muzzle  of  his  gun  like  out  of  the 
spout  of  a  teakettle.  .The  water  had  entered  his  haversack  and 
all  his  provisions  were  soaked.  After  catching  his  breath  he 
opened  up  the  magazine  of  his  profanity  until  the  water 
around  use  seemed  to  grow  warmer.  To  help  it  all,  Polk 
McCullough  asked  him  if  he  had  been  diving  after  minnows. 
This  increased  his  rage,  and  he  made  a  dash  for  Polk  and  got 
another  tumble.  This  second  ducking  had  the  effect  of  render 
ing  him  silent,  as  he  evidently  concluded  he  could  not  do  the 
subject  justice,  and  waded  through  the  remainder  of  the 
stream  without  a  word.  Though  we  were  all  suffering  from 
cold,  we  indulged  in  roars  of  hearty  laughter  at  poor  Honnis. 

After  crossing  the  river  we  moved  on  to  the  historic  place 
known  as  Ball's  Bluff  where,  on  October  20,  1861,  a  dis 
astrous  fight  occurred  in  which  the  gallant  Colonel  Baker  was 
killed.  We  remained  here  two  days  and  then  marched  to 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  163 

Leesburg,  in  a  cold  rain  and  sleet  storm.  Our  next  stop  was 
at  Millville,  a  small  hamlet  of  half  a  dozen  homes.  Here  was 
a  large  grist  mill,  owned  by  an  old  rebel  named  Stanley.  This 
mill  happened  to  contain  at  the  time  a  quantity  of  fine  wheat, 
and  as  there  were  several  millers  in  the  ranks,  they  soon  had 
it  in  operation  and  were  grinding  flour  for  the  boys,  and  we 
had  the  pleasure  of  eating  some  flap-jacks  made  from  the  old 
rebel's  flour.  After  living  on  hard  tack  and  salt  pork  for  so 
long,  those  flap-jacks  were  delicious.  From  this  place  we 
moved  to  Mount  Gilead,  and  then  to  White  Plain,  passing 
through  the  village  of  Middleburg,  a  red-hot  nest  of  secession- 
ism,  the  citizens  gazing  on  us  with  looks  of  deepest  hatred 
as  we  marched  through. 

On  November  5th  we  crossed  Carter's  Mountain,  an  ele 
vated  plateau,  and  rather  a  pleasant  looking  place.  We 
crossed  the  mountain  in  one  day  and  encamped  at  the  foot. 

On  September  29,  1862,  Colonel  Alexander  Hays  was  pro 
moted  to  Brigadier  General,  and  Lieutenant  Colonel  William 
S.  Kirkwood  to  Colonel. 

On  November  5th,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  received  a 
great  shock  that  for  awhile  almost  paralyzed  it.  It  was  the 
news  that  our  general,  G.  B.  McClellan,  had  been  removed, 
and  General  Burnside  was  now  our  commander.  This 
announcement  fell  like -a  thunder-clap  on  the  army,  and  it  was 
at  first  feared  there  would  be  a  mutiny.  The  boys  loved 
"Little  Mack,"  and  his  removal  caused  a  deep  feeling  of  dis 
appointment  with  many. 

On  November  i6th  we  marched  to  Warrenton,  where  we 
remained  one  day,  then  proceeded  to  Bealton,  a  most  forsaken 
looking  place,  and  again  moved  and  encamped  eight  or  nine 
miles  from  Fredericksburg.  Here  rumors  began  to  reach  us 
that  preparations  were  going  on  for  a  fight  at  that  place,  and 
that  the  rebels  were  preparing  to  give  us  a  warm  reception. 
We  knew  that  we  were  expected  to  attack  the  town,  and 
would  have  to  take  it  if  we  were  to  move  on  to  Richmond. 
Winter  was  now  upon  us,  and  we  also  knew  that  if  we  were 
checked  at  Fredericksburg,  we  would  be  able  to  do  but  little 


164  UNDER  THE  REp  PATCH 

until  spring  opened.  We,  however,  felt  very  sanguine  of 
defeating  the  enemy  and  capturing  the  city  where  we  would 
probably  go  into  winter  quarters  and  have  a  comfortable  time. 
On  November  22nd  we  again  moved  and  marched  to  Fal- 
mouth,  an  insignificant  village  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river  from  Fredericksburg.  Falmouth  lay  on  a  high  plateau, 
and  from  this  place  we  could  see  how  the  rebels  were  strength 
ening  every  point  and  preparing  to  resist  our  advance.  We 
knew  that  it  would  be  no  holiday  affair  for  the  troops  that 
would  have  to  cross  the  river  in  the  face  of  those  defenses. 

The  Sixty-third  lay  at  Falmouth  until  December  i2th,  while 
the  attempt  was  made  to  lay  the  pontoon  bridge,  which 
resulted  in  great  loss  to  our  men  from  the  sharpshooters  cpn- 
cealed  in  the  houses  along  the  river  on  the  rebel  side.  About 
noon,  under  command  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Banks,  we  broke 
camp  and  marched  to  the  banks  of  the  Rappahannock,  opposite 
Fredericksburg,  where  we  bivouacked  in  a  small  grove  and 
lay  during  the  night. 

The  site  selected  for  the  crossing  was  in  full  sight  of  the 
enemy's  line,  and  his  sharpshooters,  from  the  cover  of  the 
houses  on  the  Fredericksburg  side  of  the  Rappahannock, 
picked  off  the  engineers  engaged  in  placing  the  pontoons  in 
position.  A  call  for  volunteers  to  assist  the  engineers  was 
made,  and  hundreds  of  brave  men  from  the  ranks,  who  realized 
the  danger  of  the  undertaking,  gallantly  came  forward  under  a 
most  disastrous  and  destructive  fire,  both  from  the  artillery 
and  musketry  of  the  foe, 

"They  leaped  in  the  rocking  shallops, 

Ten  offered  where  one  could  go; 
And  the  breeze  was  alive  with  laughter 
Till  the  boatmen  began  to  row. 

Then  the  shore,  where  the  rebels  harbored  * 

Was  fringed  with  a  gush  of  flame, 
And  buzzing  like  bees  o'er  the  water 

The  swarms  of  their  bullets  came. 

In  silence,  how  dread  and  solemn! 

With  courage,  how  grand  and  true! 
Steadily,  steadily  onward, 

Tha  line  of  the  shallops  drew. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  165 

Not  a  whisper!     Each  man  was  conscious 

He  stood  in  the  sight  of  'death, 
So  he  bowed  to  the  living  presence, 

And  treasured  his  living  breath. 

'Twixt  death  in  the  air  above  them, 

And  death  in  the  waves  below, 
Through  ball  and  grape  and  shrapnel 

They  moved — My  God!  how  slow! 

And  many  a  brave  stout  fellow, 

Who  sprang  in  the  boats  with  mirth, 
Ere  they  made  that  fatal  crossing, 
Was  a  load  of  lifeless  earth. 

And  many  a  brave,  stout  fellow 

Whose  limbs  with  strength  were  rife, 

Was  torn  and  crushed  and  shattered, — 
A  helpless  wreck  for  life. 

But  yet  the  boats  moved  onward: 

Through  fire  and  lead  they  drove, 
With  the  dark,  still  mass  within  them, 

And  the  floating  stars  above. 

They  formed  in  line  of  battle; 

Not  a  man  was  out  of  place. 
Then,  with  leveled  steel  they  hurled  them, 

Straight  in  the  rebels'  face." 

On  the  morning  of  December  I3th,  before  day,  our  division 
moved  a  short  distance  down  the  river  and  halted  where  we 
were* concealed  by  a  strip  of  woods.  Here  we  remained  until 
about  ii  o'clock  when  we  received  orders  to  move,  and  crossed 
the  river  under  artillery  fire  and  formed  a  line  of  battle  on  the 
other  side.  There  were  open  fields  from  the  river  to  the  rail 
road,  the  distance  being  about  half  a  mile. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  railroad  the  ground  rose  in  a  pretty 
steep  slope,  covered  with  woods,  in  which  the  enemy  was  in 
considerable  force.  About  midway  between  the  river  and  the 
railroad  was  a  ditch  for  draining  the  fields,  running  parallel 
with  the  river.  On  this  ground,  previous  to  our  arrival,  the 
Pennsylvania  Reserves  had  a  savage  fight  with  the  rebels 
and  had  driven  them  into  the  woods  on  the  other  side  of  the 
railroad.  Our  men  had  planted  a  battery  on  the  rebel  side 
of  the  ditch  and  the  rebels  were  making  furious  efforts  to  cap 
ture  it.  The  battery  stood  its  ground  bravely,  hurling  grape 


166  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

and  canister  into  their  ranks,  but  still  they  pressed  on.  Our 
regiment,  with  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-first  Pennsylvania 
on  our  right,  and  a  Michigan  Regiment  on  our  left,  were 
ordered  to  the  front.  There  was  a  long  line  of  worm-fence 
running  at  right  angles  with  the  railroad,  and  up  along  this 
we  went  at  double  quick.  At  a  gap  opposite  the  battery  we 
passed  through,  and  deploying  in  the  rear  of  the  artillery,  we 
opened  fire  on  the  advancing  enemy  with  such  vigor  that  they 
wavered  and  began  to  fall  back  into  cover  of  the  woods.  The 
fire  on  both  sides  was  rapid  and  hot  for  a  time,  and  it  was  a 
fair  stand-up-fight. 

The  rest  of  our  division  had  formed  a  line  of  battle  in  our 
rear  and  were  sending  volley  after  volley  into  the  ranks  of  the 
enemy  who,  after  awhile,  slackened  their  fire  and  drew  off, 
leaving  us,  for  the  time,  masters  of  that  part  of  the  field. 
During  the  fighting,  a  number  of  the  enemy  and  some  of  our 
own  men  had  taken  refuge  in  the  ditch.  Major  Ryan,  who  had 
been  captain  of  Company  I,  and  was  as  brave  an  officer  as 
ever  wore  the  blue,  performed  a  gallant  deed  here.  Riding 
up  to  the  ditch  amid  the  firing  of  the  rebels,  he  gathered  up 
about  twenty  Johnnies  and  brought  them  prisoners  into  our 
line,  without  receiving  a  scratch,  although  it  was  a  most  peril 
ous  undertaking  and  showed  his  grit. 

We  lay  on  this  part  of  the  field  without  taking  any  further 
active  part  in  the  fight  which  was  raging  on  our  right,  as  the 
enemy  did  not  assail  this  point  again,  though  every  now  and 
then  they  would  send  a  volley  of  shells  to  let  us  know  they 
were  still  on  hand.  In  the  meantime,  our  poor  boys  on  the 
right  were  being  mercilessly  slaughtered  while  trying  to  storm 
Marye's  Heights  in  the  face  of  an  overpowering  foe  concealed 
behind  stone  walls  and  earthworks. 

After  dark,  two  companies  of  the  Sixty-third  were  sent  to 
the  ditch,  where  they  gathered  up  the  remainder  of  the  enemy 
and  some  of  our  own  men  who  had  taken  refuge  there  to 
escape  the  terrible  storm  of  grape  shot,  canister  and  musket 
balls.  While  possibly  it  was  not  cowardice  that  caused  the 
men  to  hide  there,  it  was  a  much  safer  place  than  the  open 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  167 

field,  and  no  one  knows  but  those  who  have  been  there,  what 
an  inviting  look  a  ditch  presents  to  a  person  in  a  battle. 

There  used  to  be  a  story  told  of  a  soldier  who,  when  the 
bullets  were  flying  thick  and  the  air  seemed  laden  with  death, 
saw  a  drummer  boy  ensconced  in  a  big  hollow  stump.  The  sol 
dier  seized  him  by  the  collar  and,  dragging  him  out,  said : 

"You  little  rascal,  get  out  of  this  and  give  me  a  chance,"  and 
then  crawled  into  the  place  from  which  he  had  ejected  the 
boy.  This,  no  doubt,  was  a  camp  yarn. 

Another  story  told  on  a  member  of  the  Eighty-seventh  New 
York  was  that  a  badly  scared  soldier  at  the  Battle  of  Bull  Run 
had  taken  refuge  under  the  bank  of  the  brook,  where  he  was 
safe  from  the  bullets,  and  a  general  officer  riding  by  and  seeing 
him,  ordered  him,  with  an  oath,  to  come  out  at  once.  The  fel 
low,  with  a  grin,  replied : 

"Like  the  -  -  I  will,  you  want  to  get  in  here  yourself;  go 
and  hunt  a  place,  as  I  did." 

On  the  next  day,  under  a  flag  of  truce,  the  dead  between 
the  lines  were  buried  by  details  from  both  armies,  and  the 
wounded  carried  to  the  rear.  On  the  morning  of  the  I5th  the 
Sixty-third  was  relieved  and  with  the  division,  recrossed  the 
river,  with  sad  hearts,  for  we  knew  we  had  been  defeated  and 
the  great  Battle  of  Fredericksburg  had  been  fought  and  lost  to 
our  army,  and  that  thousands  of  lives  had  been  lost  and  we 
had  nothing  to  show  for  it.  The  rebels  rejoiced  greatly  over 
this  defeat  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  the  rebel  sympa 
thizers  in  the  North  were  jubilant;  but  notwithstanding  all 
this  we  did  not  despair,  but  believed  our  time  would  come 
when  we  would  pay  the  enemy  back  with  interest. 

The  Union  losses  at  Fredericksburg,  as  given  by  history, 
were  as  follows:  Killed,  1,152;  wounded,  9,101  ;  prisoners,  and 
missing,  3,234;  total,  13,487.  The  rebel  losses,  as  represented 
in  Pollard's  "Lost  Cause,"  a  reliable  work,  were:  Killed, 
wounded  and  missing,  3,455.  This  disparity  in  loss  shows  the 
terrible  ordeal  our  men  had  to  pass  and  how  strongly  they 
were  entrenched  when  our  loss  was  four  times  greater  than 
that  of  the  enemy.  No  wonder  Fredericksburg  battlefield 


168  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

is  remembered  and  spoken  of  by  the  old  soldiers  as  the 
"Slaughter  pen." 

After  recrossing  the  river,  we  returned  to  our  old  camps, 
expecting  to  go  into  winter  quarters,  as  the  season  for  active 
service  in  the  field  had  passed  and  we  wrere  all  in  need  of  rest  to 
recuperate,  after  the  hard  work  we  had  been  performing.  We 
built  temporary  quarters  and  remained  in  comparative  quiet 
ness  for  some  time,  doing  nothing  but  camp  and  picket  duty, 
and  made  up  our  minds  that  we  would  rest  quietly  until  spring 
had  opened  another  campaign  against  the  rebel  capitol. 

The  boys,  having  an  easy  time,  began  to  gain  strength, 
many  of  our  sick,  away  in  hospitals,  returned  and  the  old 
routine  of  camp  life  went  on  as  usual.  We  had  now  been  in 
active  service  for  seventeen  months,  and  the  end  of  the  war 
seemed  to  us  as  far  remote  as  ever. 

On  Thursday  morning,  January  2Oth,  1863,  orders  were 
issued  to  pack  up  at  once  and  get  ready  to  march,  where  to, 
we  did  not  know. 

The  morning  was  fine,  crisp  and  cool,  the  roads  in  good  con 
dition,  and  the  boys  hastened  to  pack  up  and  leave  the  camp 
we  had  believed  would  be  our  home  during  the  rest  of  the 
winter.  Our  brigade  (Robinson's)  was  placed  in  the  extreme 
right  of  the  line,  and  we  knew  that  if  there  was  going  to  be  any 
fighting,  wre  would  be  the  first  to  catch  it. 

Our  way  led  to  what  is  known  as  Banks'  Ford,  on  the 
Rappahannock,  and  we  saw  by  the  pontoons  that  were  hurry 
ing  toward  the  front,  that  we  were  again  to  cross  the  river  and 
have  another  scrap  with  the  Johnnies.  We  marched  along 
lively  during  the  day  in  the  direction  of  Warrenton  until  even 
ing,  when  we  turned  obliquely  to  the  left  and  marched  more 
slowly.  Orders  were  passed  along  the  line  to  march  in  pro 
found  silence.  We  did  not  understand  this,  as  we  knew  there 
was  no  enemy  in  force  on  our  side  of  the  river,  but  when  we 
halted  for  the  night,  strict  orders  were  given  to  kindle  no  fires. 
Then  we  knew  our  movement  was  designed  to  be  a  surprise 
to  the  enemy.  The  day  was  rather  a  pleasant  one  for  January, 
and  we  prepared  to  endure  the  cold  as  well  as  possible  without 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  169 

fire.  About  10  o'clock  that  night  a  change  came,  and  one  of 
the  worst  storms  we  ever  saw  struck  us.  Snow,  sleet  and 
rain  in  torrents  fell  incessantly.  We  had  no  tents  or  shelter  of 
any  kind  and  in  a  few  moments  were  soaked  to  the  skin  and 
chilled  through  and  through.  We  never  before  so  well  realized 
the  expression,  "The  flood  gates  of  Heaven  were  opened."  All 
night  long  the  storm  pelted  us  unmercifully.  Disregarding 
orders,  the  men  attempted  to  kindle  fires,  but  everything  was 
so  drenched  and  wet  that  it  was  an  impossible  task.  Here  and 
there  a  slight  blaze  would  start  up,  but  after  nearly  blinding 
and  suffocating  us  with  smoke,  the  rain  drowned  it  out  and  we 
were  left  to  endure  the  pelting  of  the  pitiless  storm  in  utter 
darkness.  That  night's  exposure  sent  hundreds  of  men  to  the 
hospitals  and  many  to  their  graves. 

Morning  broke  at  last,  but  what  a  sight  the  dawn  revealed, 
the  whole  country  was  an  ocean  of  mud,  the  roads  were  rivers 
of  deep  mire  and  the  heavy  rain  had  made  the  ground  a  vast 
mortar  bed.  After  a  miserable  breakfast,  we  were  again 
formed  into  line  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  march.  It  was 
simply  horrible ;  at  every  step  we  sank  in  almost  to'  the  knees, 
the  pontoons  and  artillery  were  floundering  in  the  mud,  the 
teams  pulling  and  hauling,  but  unable  to  move  them.  It  was 
soon  evident  that  other  measures  must  be  taken,  so  long  ropes 
were  attached  to  the  gun  carriages.  The  men  were  strung 
along  these  ropes  to  help  pull  the  cannon,  and  even  with  this 
help  it  was  almost  impossible  to  move  them.  Every  now  and 
then  some  poor  fellow,  while  pulling  on  a  rope,  would  slip  and 
fall,  and  when  he  regained  his  feet  he  was  a  comical  looking 
object,  covered  with  a  thick  coating  of  mud  from  head  to  foot. 
Sometimes  a  mule  would  fall,  and  true  to  his  stubborn  nature, 
would  make  no  effort  to  get  up  until  the  men  would  pry  him 
out  of  his  miry  bed.  That  march  will  never  be  forgotten  by 
any  of  the  old  boys  who  participated  in  it. 

Thus  we  tugged  and  pulled  and  floundered,  gaining  very 
little  headway,  wet,  muddy,  hungry  and  cross,  until  near  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  when  all  efforts  ceased  and  the  Army 


170  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

of  the  Potomac  was  literally  "stuck  in  the  mud."  To  this  day 
the  old  boys  refer  to  it  as  the  "Mud  march." 

To  add  to  the  discomfiture  and  humiliation  of  the  Union 
Army,  the  enemy  displayed  a  large  sign  near  their  works  on 
which  was  painted  in  large  letters  the  taunting  inscription, 
"Stuck  in  the  Mud." 

On  the  23rd  of  January,  after  wading  through  Virginia's 
mud  in  an  almost  incessant  rain  storm,  when  and  where  it  was 
impossible  to  pitch  a  tent  or  construct  a  shelter  from  the  ele 
ments,  tired  out  and  almost  disheartened,  the  division  returned 
to  its  old  camps,  where  the  men  commenced  in  earnest  the 
construction  of  "winter  quarters." 

Letter  of  General  Birney  to  Governor  Curtin : 

Headquarters  First  Division,  Third  Corps, 
Camp  Pitcher,  Va.,  December  19,  1862. 

Your  Excellency: — It  gives  me  pleasure  to  say  to  you  that  among 
the  distinguished  regiments  of  this  old  division,  in  the  Battle  of 
Fredericksburg,  were  seven  from  Pennsylvania,  our  patriotic  old 
State. 

The  Fifty-seventh,  Colonel  Campbell;  Sixty-third,  Major  Danks; 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth,  Colonel  McKnight;  Ninety-ninth,  Colonel 
Leidy,  were  identified  with  the  glory  of  the  command.  But  the 
Sixty-eighth,  Colonel  Tippin;  the  One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth, 
Colonel  Collis;  One  Hundred  and  Forty-first,  Colonel  Medill — new 
accessions — did  much  service,  and  withstood  the  enemy's  charge  with 
enthusiasm,  driving  him  to  his  breastworks  and  cover. 

It  was  a  peculiar  delight,  as  a  Pennsylvanian,  that  I  led  so  many 
Pennsylvania  regiments,  to  the  support  of  the  veteran  "Reserves," 
as  that  division  was  slowly  and  sullenly  retiring  before  the  over 
powering  foe,  that  we  relieved  it  from  pursuit,  and  repulsed  the 
enemy  with  terrible  slaughter. 

All  of  these  regiments  are  fully  entitled  to  have  officially  awarded 
to  them,  from  the  executive  power,  the  right  to  add  "Fredericksburg" 
to  the  names  already  crowding  their  banners.  May  I  ask  you,  amid 
your  many  duties,  to  have  this  compliment  promptly  paid  them? 

I  regret  to  say  that  Colonel  Campbell,  Colonel  Leidy,  and  Major 
Hawksworth  fell  severely  wounded  while  leading  their  commands. 
Many  a  brave  Pennsylvanian  gave  his  life  for  the  glory  of  the  old 
flag,  and  the  honor  of  our  good  State  and  country. 

I  am  your  obedient  servant, 

D.    B.   BIRNEY, 
Brig.-Gen..Com.  Div. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

(From  January  23,  1863,  to  May  7,  1863.) 


IN  WINTER  QUARTERS— ORIGIN  OF  CORPS  BADGES— HOLIDAYS  IN  CAMP- 
AN  APRIL  FOOL  JOKE— GRAND  REVIEW  BY  PRESIDENT  LINCOLN- 
BATTLES  OF  THE  CEDARS  AND  CHANCELLORSVILLE. 


'Many  and  many  a  weary  day 
Our  lion-hearted  legions  lay, 
Waiting  and  hoping  for  the  strife, 
Weary  of  an  inglorious  life. 
At  last  the  onward  order's  given, 
With  cheer  on  cheer  the  air  is  riven! 
And  'mong  themselves  the  soldiers  say, 
'Hurrah!    Hurrah!    boys,  this's  the  day 
We  cross  the  Rappahannock.' 

Now  the  encampment's  all  alive, 
And  seems  like  some  vast  human  hive, — 
Now  rattle  and  roll  the  noisy  drums, 
The  long  roll  beats,  and  calls  to  arms! 
Then  'Forward'  the  commander  saith, 
The  soldiers  almost  l\old  their  breath 
And  in  the  very  face  of  death 

They  cross  the  Rappahannock. 

'Ah!    bloody  work  there  was,'   they  say 
Close  where  the  Rappahannock  lay; 
Yet  firm  our  valiant  columns  stood 
Upon  the  slippery  field  of  blood! 
And  fast  the  murderous  missiles  fell, — 
A  very  storm  of  shot  and  shell, — 
But,  'bravely  fighting,  there  they  fell 
Beside  the  Rappahannock. 

The  sad-eyed  stars  looked  down  that  night 
On  many  a  face  all  ghastly  white; 
For  thick  as  autumn  leaves,  that  day 
They  fell, — the  gallant,  young  and  gay; 
They  would  not  yield,  they  would  not  fly,- 
For  Freedom  it  was  sweet  to  die; 
So,  scattered  here  and  there  they  lie 
Beside  the  Rappahannock. 


172  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

Peace!   to  the  loyal  and  the  brave 
Who  fought  our  glorious  land  to  save! 
Who  fought  and  fell  and  found  a  grave 
Beside  the  Rappahannock  wave. 
Garlands  of  cypress  and  laurel  twine 
For  those  who  died  for  yours  and  mine; 
Poured  out  their  blood  like  red,  red  wine 
Beside  the  Rappahannock." 

A  FTER  the  return  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  to  its  former 
camps  near  Falmouth,  the  troops  commenced  to  stockade 
their  tents  and  erect  log  huts  as  a  protection  against  the 
inclemency  of  a  Southern  winter.  Tools  of  any  description 
were  difficult  to  procure,  yet  the  building  of  winter  quarters 
progressed  quite  rapidly,  every  soldier  working  with  a  will. 
The  quarters  constructed  at  this  camp  were  quite  comfortable 
and  though  scarcely  equal,  from  an  architectural  standpoint, 
to  some  erected  subsequently,  they  were  very  creditable  to  the 
soldiers  and  proved  to  be  not  only  habitable,  but  in  most 
instances,  decidedly  cozy,  comfortable  and  convenient. 

One  of  the  newspaper  correspondents,  writing  of  the  various 
styles  adopted,  said:  "Some  model  after  a  heathen  temple, 
some  after  a  Yankee  woodshed,  others  after  an  Indian  wig 
wam,  and  some  after  a  wood-chuck's  hole,  but  the  Hottentot 
style  of  architecture  on  the  whole,  it  must  be  confessed,  pre 
vailed  over  every  other;  and  for  every  kind  of  structure  that 
can  rise  out  of  mother  earth, — that  can  be  created  out  of  Vir 
ginia  mud — with  some  ribs  and  frame  work  of  logs,  let  me 
commend  you  to  the  whole  region  round  about." 

To  many,  even  among  the  veterans  of  the  war,  who  so 
proudly  wore  them  on  their  "soldier  caps"  in  the  department 
where  bullets  whistled,  and  now  attach  them  to  their  breasts 
and  badges  with  proud  and  fond  memories  of  the  days  "when 
comrades  touched  the  elbow"  in  the  red  front  of  battle,  the 
origin  of  the  designating  corps  badges  is  not  generally  known, 
and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  civilians  are  puzzled  to 
know  why  it  is  that  these  grizzled  veterans  who  today  drag 

"Their  shattered  limbs  around 

And  envy  the  deep,  long,  blessed  sleep 
Of  the  battlefield's  holy  ground," 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  173 

regard  with  such  love  and  veneration  these  simple  cloth  or 
metallic  emblems  in  the  form  of  diamonds,  Greek  or  Maltese 
crosses,  circles,  crescents,  stars,  etc. 

During  the  memorable  Battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  on  the  second 
day  (June  ist)  in  front  of  Richmond,  in  the  summer  of  1862, 
General  Phil  Kearney,  the  fearless  commander  of  the  First 
Division  of  the  old  Third  Corps,  severely  censured  some 
officers  of  the  Irish  Brigade,  Second  Corps,  for  cowardice, 
which  action  got  him  into  trouble ;  therefore,  to  avoid  this 
mistake  in  the  future,  and  for  the  purpose  of  distinguishing 
them  upon  the  march  and  battlefield,  he  directed  the  officers 
of  his  command  to  wear  upon  their  hats  or  caps  a  patch  of 
red.  These  were  obtained  from  the  linings  of  their  overcoats, 
flannel  shirts,  or  any  possible  source,  and  there  was  at  first 
no  stipulated  regulation  as  to  size,  shape  or  material.  This 
proved  of  great  advantage  and  benefit  to  general  and  staff 
officers  during  the  campaign,  enabling  them  to  recognize  strag 
glers,  skedadlers,  and  shirks,  and  to  identify  those  distinguish 
ing  themselves  in  action  by  personal  bravery. 

After  the  death  of  Kearney  at  the  Battle  of  Chantilly,  the 
soldiers  of  his  division  voluntarily  adopted  the  "red  patch"  in 
honor  of  his  memory,  and  long  before  the  system  of  corps 
badges  was  instituted  by  General  Hooker,  a  soldier  of  this 
old  fighting  division  could  be  readily  recognized  wherever 
seen,  by  his  simple  badge  or  patch  of  red. 

After  the  Battle  of  Fredericksburg,  in  which  this  division 
again  distinguished  itself,  a  general  order  dated  December  16, 
1862,  was  promulgated  by  Brigadier  General  D.  B.  Birney, 
then  commanding  the  division,  in  which  tke  following  para 
graphs  occurred : 

"The  old  regiments  that  have  lost  so  many  gallant  men,  will  still 
maintain  by  renewed  energy  their  old  reputation,  and  although  small 
bands  are  so  united  and  gallant  as  to  be  equal  to  all  that  the 
bravest  can  achieve. 

"The  old  standards  are  safe  in  their  keeping.  The  new  regiments 
have  shown  themselves  fully  worthy  of  the  'Red  Patch'  and  I,  in 
the  name  of  the  division,  acknowledge  them  as  members  in  full  stand 
ing." 


174  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

During  the  month  of  April,  1863,  General  Joseph  Hooker, 
who  had  succeeded  General  Ambrose  E.  Burnside  as  Com 
mander  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  directed  in  general  orders 
from  army  headquarters,  that  the  various  corps  of  the  army 
should  hereafter  be  designated  by  the  devices  named  by  him, 
as  follows  : 

First  Corps,  a  circle ;  Second  Corps,  a  trefoil ;  Third  Corps, 
a  lozenge  or  diamond ;  Fifth  Corps,  a  Maltese  cross ;  Sixth 
Corps,  a  Greek  cross ;  Eleventh  Corps,  a  crescent ;  and  Twelfth 
Corps,  a  star.  The  divisions  of  each  corps  were  designated  by 
the  color  of  the  badge,  the  First  being  red,  the  Second  white, 
and  the  Third  blue.  Division  headquarters  were  distinguished 
by  square  flags  with  the  designating  emblem  appropriate 
thereto.  The  First  Division  flag  was  white  with  red  badge,  the 
Second  Division  blue  with  white  badge,  the  Third  Division 
white  with  blue  badge.  Brigade'  headquarters  were  distin 
guished  by  triangular  flags,  or  pennants;  the  number  of  the 
brigade  by  color  borders.  All  officers  and  enlisted  men  were 
required  to  wear  the  badge  of  their  division  upon  the  center 
of  the  top  of  their  caps.  This  system  of  designation  proved  of 
inestimable  benefit  to  both  officers  and  men  of  all  the  armies 
in  the  different  sections  of  the  Union. 

Although  after  the  reorganization  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  by  General  Grant,  March  25,  1864,  the  grand  old 
Third  Corps,  the  first  regularly  organized  corps  to  take  the 
field,  the  corps  which  furnished  to  the  country  and  developed 
the  genius  of  such  illustrious  commanders  as  Heintzelman, 
Stoneman,  Kearney,  Hays,  Howard,  Berry,  Birney,  Sickles, 
Whipple,  Hooker,  Richardson,  Jameson,  Ward,  Egan,  Pierce, 
Pulford,  de  Trobriand,  West,  Mattocks,  Berdan,  and  hosts  of 
other  distinguished  generals,  was  merged  in  the  Second  Corps 
under  General  Hancock,  the  entire  corps  consolidated  into  one 
division,  known  as  the  Third  Division  of  the  Second  Corps, 
they  were  permitted  to  retain  the  old  and  honored  "Kearney 
patch." 

Christmas,  1862,  and  New  Year's  Day,  1863,  were  spent  at 
this  place,  which  was  designated  in  orders  from  division  head- 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  175 

quarters  dated  December  16,  1862,  as  "Camp  Pitcher,  in 
honor  of  a  gallant  soldier,  (Major  Pitcher,  of  the  Fourth  Maine 
Regiment),  who  died  as  one  of  our  division  dies,  with  his 
breast  to  the  foe,  doing  his  whole  duty." 

Christmas  was  observed  as  a  holiday,  no  military  duty  being 
exacted,  yet  it  was  a  dull  day  in  camp.  Thoughts  of  the  merry, 
festive  season  at  home,  in  "God's  country,"  ere  yet  war  with 
its  desolating  hand  had  swept  over  our  once  happy  and  pros 
perous  land,  came  unbidden  on  this  day  to  every  soldier's  heart 
beneath  that  Southern  sky. 

On  New  Year's  morning,  the  officers  of  the  division,  field 
and  line,  received  the  congratulations  of  General  Berry  in  a 
polite  note,  and  an  invitation  from  General  Ward  to  attend  an 
entertainment  at  his  headquarters  in  the  afternoon.  A  ring 
had  been  made  in  an  open  field,  around  which  seats  were  con 
structed  for  the  accommodation  of  the  invited  guests,  while  the 
sports  were  conducted  under  the  supervision  of  officers  of 
General  Ward's  staff.  Prizes  to  the  amount  of  several  hun 
dred  dollars  were  awarded  to  the  successful  contestants.  The 
wheel  of  fortune  was  a  cylinder  of  wood  three  feet  in  diameter, 
ten  or  twelve  feet  in  length,  revolving  freely  upon  its  axis  at  a 
height  of  twelve  feet  from  the  ground.  Steps  at  one  end  of 
the  wheel  furnished  access  to  the  contestants,  and  a  twenty 
dollar  greenback  on  a  pole  at  the  other  extremity  awaited  the 
man  who  succeeded  in  walking  the  entire  length  of  the  revolv 
ing  cylinder.  Another  diversion  was  a  greased  pole,  with  a 
ten  dollar  greenback  as  a  prize  for  the  successful  climber ; 
there  were  hurdle  races  and  foot  races,  "open  to  all  but  Penn 
sylvania  Reserves  ;"  a  mule  race,  where  the  last  mule  in  instead 
of  the  first,  took  the  prize ;  horse  races ;  sack  races ;  burlesque 
"cock  fights"  between  soldiers  ;  several  original  eccentricities 
of  the  colored  contrabands,  "native  here  and  to  the  manner 
born,"  feats  of  strength  and  agility,  athletic  sports  and  bur 
lesque  divertisements  constituting  one  of  the  most  amusing 
and  pleasing  entertainments  imaginable.  A  fine  band  dis 
coursed  patriotic,  operatic  and  popular  airs.  Nearly  all  the 
soldiers  of  the  division  \vere  present,  as  were  also  the  general, 


176  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

field,  staff  and  line  officers  of  this  division,  as  well  as  numbers 
of  officers  and  soldiers  of  other  commands  encamped  in  this 
vicinity. 

It  was  on  January  25th  that  General  A.  E.  Burnside  was 
relieved  and  General  Joseph  Hooker  placed  in  command.  The 
boys  were  well  pleased  with  the  change,  as  we  had  great  faith 
in  the  ability  of  "Fighting  Joe  Hooker,"  and  fully  believed 
that  the  war  would  now  be  pushed  to  a  successful  termination. 
Polk  McCullough  said,  "Why  in  —  —  don't  they  give  the  com 
mand  to  Colonel  Hays?  I  believe  he  is  the  only  fit  man  to 
command  this  army ;  if  he  was  at  the  head  of  it  he  would  soon 
knock  -  -  out  of  the  rebel  army  and  take  us  into  Richmond." 
Folk's  faith  in  Colonel  Hays  was  unlimited. 

Our  division,  which  in  addition  to  the  Sixty-third,  contained 
several  Pennsylvania  Regiments,  was  reviewed  on  the  morn 
ing  of  March  26th,  by  Governor  Curtin  who,  in  an  eloquent 
and  patriotic  address,  tendered  his  thanks  personally  and  in 
behalf  of  the  Cpmmonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  to  the  soldiers 
of  the  grand  old  Kearney  division. 

On  the  following  day,  a  horse  race  and  steeple  chase  was 
held  on  a  fine  plateau  adjacent  to  the  camp,  which  was 
attended  by  a  large  number  of  army  officers  from  the  the  dif 
ferent  corps,  and  many  distinguished  statesmen,  civilians  and 
lady  visitors  from  the  North. 

At  i  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April  ist,  orders  from  corps 
headquarters  were  received  to  hold  the  command  in  readiness 
to  move  at  a  moment's  notice,  as  "the  enemy  was  reported  to 
be  across  the  river  in  strong  force."  The  men  were  accord 
ingly  aroused  from  sweet  dreams  of  peace,  formed  in  line,  and 
remained  under  arms  "till  daylight  did  appear."  The  order 
was  faithfully  observed  and  indeed,  though  subsequently  found 
to  be  a  practical  April  fool  joke  of  some  waggish  staff  officer 
at  corps  headquarters,  it  was  based  upon  a  literally  correct 
statement  of  the  situation  at  the  time,  as  the  enemy  was 
actually  "across"  the  river,  but  fortunately  for  us,  not  upon 
our  side  of  the  now  historic  Rappahannock  River. 

President  Lincoln,  with  a  number  of  distinguished  states- 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  177 

men,  visited  the  army  while  at  this  point,  and  on  April  8,  1863, 
a  grand  review  of  the  Third  and  other  corps,  with  more  than 
seventy  thousand  men,  was  held  for  his  benefit.  The  vast  field 
in  which  the  troops  were  paraded  for  inspection  and  review, 
was  in  plain  sight  of  the  church  spires  and  signal  stations  of 
the  Confederates  in  the  city  of  Fredericksburg,  from  which  the 
enemy  could  easily  number  the  battalions  and  almost  count 
the  men  in  the  ranks. 

In  addition  to  the  President  and  visiting  statesmen,  the 
occasion  was  graced  by  the  presence  of  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  a 
large  number  of  other  ladies.  On  the  loth  the  Eleventh  and 
Twelfth  Corps  were  reviewed  by  the  President  and  General 
Hooker,  who  were  enthusiastically  cheered  as  they  rode 
through  our  lines  en  route  to  the  camps  of  the  commands. 

Our  camp  at  this  place  was  first  designated  in  orders  as 
Camp  Curtin,  but  the  name  was  subsequently  changed  to 
Camp  Sickles  in  honor  of  our  gallant  Corps  commander. 

On  the  morning  of  April  I4th  orders  were  received  from 
army  headquarters  to  turn  over  immediately  all  superfluous 
baggage,  tents  and  clothing;  enlisted  men  to  send  their 
blankets  to  the  rear  for  storage  during  the  summer  months, 
to  provide  themselves  with  eight  days'  rations,  five  to  be  car 
ried  in  knapsacks  and  three  in  haversacks,  and  to  be  in  readi 
ness  to  move  at  a  moment's  notice. 

We  lay  in  our  winter  quarters  at  Falmouth  until  April  28, 
1863.  Our  principal  duty  was  guard  mounting  and  drill. 
This  place  was  not  as  interesting  as  our  former  winter  quar 
ters  at  Camp  Johnston,  as  we  had  no  Alexandria  to  go  to  and 
have  what  the  boys  called  fun.  Our  greatest  trouble  was  in 
procuring  wood  for  our  fires ;  all  the  trees  were  cut  down  and 
soon  chopped  up  into  fire  wood,  and  when  this  was  done  the 
stumps  were  attacked  and  dug  out  by  root. 

The  regiment  was  now  assigned  to  the  First  Brigade,  Gen 
eral  D.  B.  Birney's  division,  of  General  Daniel  E.  Sickles' 
Corps,  consisting  of  six  regiments,  all  Pennsylvanians,  as  fol 
lows  :  Fifty-seventh,  Sixty-third,  Sixty-eighth,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifth,  One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth,  and  One  Hundred 


178  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

and  Forty-first,  the  last  two  and  the  Sixty-eighth  being  new 
regiments,  but  composed  of  good  men  who  could  be  depended 
upon  in  any  emergency. 

From  orders  received  and  indications  of  activity  at  the  var 
ious  headquarters  on  the  morning  of  April  28th,  it  was  plainly 
evident  that  a  forward  movement  was  anticipated.  At  noon 
the  regiments  were  formed  in  line  and  remained  under  arms 
until  5  o'clock  p.  m.,  wrhen  the  division  moved  to  the  left  and 
bivouacked  in  the  woods,  about  six  miles  from  our  former 
camp.  It  had  been  misty  and  cloudy  during  the  day,  and  a 
heavy  fog  served  to  obscure  our  movements  from  the  enemy. 
As  no  fires  were  permitted,  we  were  all  soon  sound  asleep  in 
the  open  air,  and  on  the  following  morning  we  moved  a  short 
distance  to  a  picturesque  valley  where  we  remained  during  the 
day,  the  officers  and  first  sergeants  devoting  their  time  to 
making  out  the  muster  and  payrolls. 

On  the  3Oth  an  order  was  promulgated  to  the  troops  from 
General  Hooker  announcing  that  he  had  established  his  head 
quarters  at  Chancellorsville,  and  that  "the  operations  of  the 
last  three  days  has  determined  that  our  enemy  must  inglori- 
ously  fly  or  come  out  from  behind  his  defenses  and  give  us 
battle  on  our  own  ground,  where  certain  destruction  awaits 
him."  The  movement  of  our  corps  to  the  left  had  been  a  feint, 
and  at  4  o'clock  p.  m.  we  were  again  en  route  marching  back 
via  our  old  camps,  Stoneman's  Switch  and  Berea  Church,  to 
near  United  States  Ford,  where  we  bivouacked  at  I  o'clock 
a.  m.  The  weather  during  the  day  had  been  extremely  warm, 
and  the  march  very  fatiguing  as  the  troops  were  burdened 
with  heavy  knapsacks,  sixty  rounds  of  ammunition,  and  eight 
days'  rations,  in  addition  to  their  muskets  and  accoutrements 
which  made  a  burden  of  not  less  than  forty  or  fifty  pounds 
per  man. 

Reveille  was  sounded  at  4  o'clock  on  the  following  morning 
and  after  a  hasty  breakfast,  we  were  soon  again  on  the  move. 
At  10  o'clock  we  reached  United  States  Ford  and  crossed  the 
Rappahannock  on  pontoon  bridges.  On  the  southern  bank 
we  encountered  a  long  line  of  breastworks,  rifle  pits  and 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  179 

redoubts  which  had  been  hastily  abandoned  by  the  rebels  to 
reinforce  other  points,  not  anticipating  an  attack  at  this  place. 
The  works  were  very  formidable  and  if  properly  manned, 
would  have  rendered  it  practically  impossible  for  us  to  effect 
a  crossing.  After  a  half  hour  halt  for  rest  and  coffee,  we  con 
tinued  our  march,  passing  through  several  deserted  Confeder 
ate  camps,  in  which  the  camp  fires  of  the  soldiers  were  still 
burning. 

At  high  noon  the  division  halted  in  a  grove,  but  was  soon 
ordered  forward  and  formed  in  line  of  battle  near  the  Chancel 
lor  House.  A  portion  of  the  line  was  busily  engaged  and  suc 
ceeded  in  driving  the  enemy  a  short  distance,  and  at  night  the 
division  bivouacked  in  two  lines  on  the  plank  road,  about  a 
half  mile  to  the  right  of  Chancellorsville. 

As  we  moved  along  the  plank  road  in  the  afternoon,  the 
infantry  marched  in  the  fields  by  its  side  which  were  higher 
than  the  road  itself,  in  order  to  give  free  use  of  the  main 
thoroughfare  to  the  ambulances.  General  Sickles,  surrounded 
by  his  staff,  sat  smoking  his  accustomed  cigar,  coolly  survey 
ing  the  passing  of  the  troops  and  the  situation  in  our  front. 
The  enemy,  who  had  discovered  the  movement,  opened  upon 
us  from  numerous  batteries  and  their  shot  ploughed  the  ground 
around  us  and  shrieked  over  our  heads  and  through  our  ranks. 
Observing  this,  the  general,  without  changing  his  own  posi 
tion,  remarked  in  that  peculiar  deliberate  tone  of  voice,  "Boys, 
I  think  the  enemy  see  you, — you  had  better  take  to  the  road." 

On  the  morning  of  Saturday,  May  2nd,  the  division  com 
manded  by  General  Birney,  preceded  by  Berdan's  sharpshoot 
ers  on  the  skirmish  line,  other  regiments  marching  through  the 
forests  "by  the  right  of  companies  to  the  front,"  drove  the 
enemy  for  more  than  half  a  mile  and  captured  "Catharpin 
Furnaces,"  distant  about  one  mile  from  the  scene  of  our 
bivouac  on  the  previous  night.  Here  we  lost  the  gallant  Cap 
tain  William  Smith,  of  Company  A,  as  brave  a  man  as  ever 
wore  the  blue,  who  fell  riddled  with  bullets.  Up  to  this  time 
the  fighting  had  been  done  entirely  by  the  infantry  but  when 
the  enemy  commenced  to  shell  the  woods,  Randolph's  Battery 


180  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

took  position  near  the  furnaces  and  soon  succeeded  in  silencing 
the  guns  of  the  Confederates.  During  the  operations  of  the 
day,  this  division  captured  the  Twenty-third  Georgia  Regi 
ment  entire,  with  their  colors. 

We  continued  our  advance,  driving  the  enemy  steadily 
before  us  until  sun-down,  and  had  pushed  him  fully  five  miles 
when  suddenly  came  orders  from  corps  headquarters  to  halt, 
and  shortly  afterwards  to  fall  back  to  the  field  from  which 
we  had  started  in  the  morning.  Reaching  this  point,  we  were 
much  surprised  to  find  our  artillery  in  position,  aiming  in  the 
direction  of  the  plank  road  which  we  had  occupied  and 
entrenched  the  previous  night.  Here  we  learned  that  our 
retrogade  movement  was  occasioned  by  the  breaking  of  the 
line  of  the  Eleventh  Corps,  commanded  by  General  O.  O. 
Howard,  which  had  been  pierced  by  a  flank  movement  of 
Stonewall  Jackson's  command,  and  that  the  entire  Third  Corps 
was  cut  off  from  all  communication  with  the  rest  of  the  army. 

Staff  officers  dashed  furiously  back  and  forth  communicat 
ing  their  orders  in  an  undertone :  "The  plank  road  must  be 
retaken  before  daylight." 

At  about  9  o'clock  p.  m.  the  lines  of  attack  were  formed  in 
double  column ;  at  10  the  signal  to  advance  was  given,  and  in 
that  bright  moonlight,  this  forlorn  hope,  every  man,  conscious 
of  the  desperate  nature  of  the  undertaking,  determined  to 
reach  the  plank  road  or  die  in  the  attempt,  moved  cautiously 
but  steadily  forward  through  the  dense  forest  in  our  present 
front.  Appreciating  the  utter  impossibility  of  attempting  to 
ride  through  the  thick  undergrowth,  mounted  officers  sent 
their  horses  to  the  rear  and  accompanied  their  men  on  foot. 

A  hurried  "farewell"  was  said  as  staff  officers  separated  and 
each  went  to  the  position  assigned  him.  With  bayonets  fixed, 
the  line  advanced,  when  suddenly  a  continuous  sheet  of  flame 
from  the  muzzles  of  the  enemy's  cannon  and  muskets  indi 
cated  the  position  of  his  lines  which,  in  the  darkness  of  the 
forest,  had  been  hitherto  unknown,  and  a  perfect  shower  of 
bullets  whistled  through  the  forest  trees. 

We  were  ordered  to  reserve  our  fire,  and  with  a  cheer  our 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  181 

lines  advanced  through  the  deep  gloom  of  the  forest.  From 
front  and  right  and  left  the  artillery  opened  fire  and  the  flash 
of  the  heavy  guns,  the  trail  of  the  deadly  shot  and  shell  as  seen 
through  the  overhanging  branches,  added  to  the  fearful  sheet 
of  flame  from  the  infantry  in  compact  masses  in  our  front 
was,  indeed,  a  magnificent  but  a  terrible  sight.  Almost  to  the 
enemy's  line,  we  discovered  that  they  had  taken  advantage  of 
the  breastworks  erected  by  us  the  preceding  day,  in  addition 
to  which  they  had  constructed  an  almost  impenetrable  abattis 
in  their  front. 

Finding  it  absolutely  impossible  to  penetrate  the  lines  of 
the  enemy,  our  division  re-formed  and  slowly  fell  back  to  the 
edge  of  the  woods  where  we  lay  down,  nearly  exhausted  by 
our  long  and  tedious  day's  experience.  The  plank  road  had 
not  been  retaken,  and  all  knew  that  on  the  morrow  there  must 
be  another  desperate  struggle. 

There  was  an  awful  grandeur  in  this  moonlight  attack  and 
as  we  who  shared  it,  look  back  to  that  night  of  horror,  from 
our  present  peaceful  standpoints,  we  can  even  now  imagine  the 
determined  faces  of  brave  men  advancing  in  solemn  silence, 
with  fixed  bayonets  and  firm  tread,  through  the  gloom  of  a 
dense  forest  upon  a  hidden  and  wary  foe, — the  demoniac  yell 
of  the  rebel  forces — the  flash  of  invisible  guns  marking  the  line 
of  the  enemy's  defenses  through  the  darkness — the  gleaming 
of  glittering  bayonets  in  the  pale  moonlight, — the  flash  and 
roar  of  cannon  answering  cannon  with  their  volleying 
thunders, — the  crashing  of  shot  and  shell  through  overhanging 
branches,  or  shrieking  over  the  very  tree  tops, — the  regimental 
colors,  tattered  and  torn  but  glorious  and  inspiring  still,  wav 
ing  in  the  uncertain  light, — the  moans  of  the  dying  and  the 
plaintive  cries  of  the  wounded  in  their  agony.  Never  can  the 
recollection  of  that  midnight  attack  at  Chancellorsville  fade 
from  the  memory  of  those  who  participated  in  it.  Our  killed 
and  \vounded  were  left  where  they  fighting  fell,  and  there  was 
no  means  of  ascertaining  definitely  their  names  or  numbers. 
Several  prisoners  from  our  division  were  lost  during  the 
engagement. 


182  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

It  was  during  the  attack  upon  his  lines,  and  in  the  immediate 
front  of  our  division,  that  the  famous  Confederate  General, 
Stonewall  Jackson,  was  killed. 

The  "moonlight"  charge  of  the  Sixty-third  recalls  another 
charge  in  which  Colonel  Hays  showed  the  stuff  he  was 
made  of. 

The  army  being  on  the  move,  a  portion  of  the  troops  coming 
at  right  angles,  obstructing  our  progress,  Colonel  Hays 
ordered  the  colonel  in  command  of  the  offending  troops  to  halt 
and  let  us  pass,  and  upon  his  refusal  to  do  so,  Colonel  Hays, 
in  a  very  sharp  and  effective  manner,  ordered  the  Sixty-third 
to  "fix  bayonets,  and  charge,"  which  was  so  promptly  done 
that  we  had  the  right-of-way  in  double-quick  time,  bringing 
forth  from  the  defeated  colonel  the  inquiry :  "Where  did  you 
get  that  regiment,  colonel?"  Colonel  Hays  promptly  replied, 
"Ah,  they  are  my  boys  from  Pittsburgh." 

At  daybreak  of  Sunday,  May  3rd,  the  division  was  quietly 
formed  in  line  and  by  a  detour  moved  to  the  right  and  formed 
line  of  battle  in  front  of  the  Chancellor  House,  but  not  without 
severe  losses.  At  this  point  General  Berry,  commanding  the 
Second  Division  of  the  Third  Corps,  was  instantly  killed.  The 
fighting  for  about  four  hours  was  seldom  equalled  during  the 
war  for  the  fierceness  and  stubborness  evinced  in  the  charges 
and  counter-charges,  but  it  finally  resulted  in  the  complete 
rout  of  the  enemy,  who  sullenly  retired,  and  we  still  held  the 
lines  occupied  by  us  in  the  morning,  protected  and  strength 
ened  by  traverses  and  a  formidable  abbatis.  Here  we  did 
some  terrible  fighting.  General  Hooker  had  been  wounded  by 
a  shell,  Colonel  Kirkwood  was  wounded,  and  Major  Ryan 
assumed  command.  Color  Sergeant  Fitzgerald  was  severely 
wounded  and  Corporal  George  House,  of  Company  B,  carried 
off  the  colors. 

The  morning  of  Monday,  May  4th,  found  us  still  lying 
behind  the  entrenchments  over  which  shot,  shell  and  bullets 
flew  almost  unceasingly.  During  the  night  there  had  been  sev 
eral  skirmishes  between  the  pickets  of  the  opposing  forces 
occasioned  by  attempts  of  the  enemy  to  advance  his  lines,  and 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  183 

desultory  firing  continued  all  night.  The  morning  of  Tuesday, 
May  5th,  was  misty  and  lowering.  At  an  early  hour  the 
enemy  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  a  working  detail  sent  out 
for  the  purpose  of  entrenching.  The  enemy's  fire  was,  how 
ever,  silenced  by  our  batteries  and  the  working  party  was 
permitted  to  continue  its  pursuits.  Heavy  rain  fell  during 
the  afternoon,  and  at  dusk  the  clouds  and  rain  serving  to 
obscure  our  movements  from  the  enemy,  the  batteries  com 
menced  to  move  quietly  to  the  rear.  At  9  o'clock  the  infantry 
was  ordered  to  "fall  in"  and  be  prepared  for  an  instant  move. 
After  standing  in  heavy  marching  order  for  some  three  or  four 
hours,  we  were  ordered  to  pitch  tents  and  make  ourselves 
comfortable !  At  3  o'clock  a.  m.  marching  orders  were  again 
received  and  one  hour  later  we  were  noiselessly  moving  to  the 
rear.  At  daybreak  we  recrossed  the  Rappahannock  and 
returned  to  the  camps  we  had  occupied  previous  to  the  dis 
astrous  campaign. 

Our  loss  in  this  battle  was  very  heavy.  Colonel  Kirkwood 
died  from  his  wounds  soon  after,  Captain  William  Smith  of 
Company  A,  Captain  William  Thompson  of  Company  D,  Lieu 
tenants  Milo  M.  Boyle  of  Company  C,  William  McGrana- 
han  of  Company  B,  and  William  Weeks  of  Company  H,  were 
killed. 

In  an  address  delivered  at  a  banquet  of  the  Third  Corps 
Union,  Major  General  J.  Watts  de  Peyster,  referring  to  the 
heroic  fighting  of  the  Third  Corps  in  this  engagement,  said  : 

"Pretty  much  all  the  real  hard  fighting  at  Chancellorsville 
proper,  i.  e.,  on  the  great  battle-Sunday,  was  accomplished  by 
the  "diamond  patches."  Had  Graham,  constituting  the  lance 
head  of  the  corps,  been  properly  supported,  he  would  have 
transfixed  Stuart,  successor  to  Jackson ;  and,  to  use  the  sol 
dier's  term,  he  would  have  'bust  up'  Lee." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

(From  May  7,  1863,  to  July  1,  1863.) 


CAMP  SICKLES  -ANNIE  ETHERIDGE— THE  KEARNEY  CROSS— THE  MARCH 
TO  GETTYSBURG. 


"O!  Star  Spangled  Banner!  the  flag  of  our  pride! 
Though  trampled  by  traitors  and  basely  denied, 
Fling  out  to  the  glad  winds,  your  red,  white  and  blue, 
For  the  heart  of  the  Northland  is  beating  for  you! 
And  her  strong  arm  is  nerving  to  strike  with  a  will, 
Till  the  foe  and  his  boastings  are  humbled  and  still! 
Here's  welcome  to  wounding,  and  combat  and  scars, 
And  the  glory  of  death — for  the  Stripes  and  the  Stars! 

O!  God  of  our  fathers!  this  banner  must  shine 
Where  'battle  is  hottest,  in  warfare  divine! 
The  cannon  has  thundered,  the  bugle  has  blown — 
We  fear -not  the  summons — we  fight  not  alone! 
0!  lead  us,  till  wide  from  the  gulf  to  the  sea, 
The  land  shall  be  sacred  to  Freedom  and  Thee! 
With  love  for  oppression;  with  blessings  for  scars — 
One  Country — One  Banner — the  Stripes  and  the  Stars." 

— Edna  Dean  Proctor. 

A  FTER  our  return  to  Camp  Sickles,  the  old  routine  of  mili 
tary  life  was  resumed.  The  camps  of  the  Kearney  division 
wore  a  gala  day  appearance,  division,  brigade  and  regimental 
headquarters  were  elaborately  decorated  with  arches,  arbors 
and  appropriate  devices  in  evergreen,  some  of  which  were  of 
colossal  proportions,  exhibiting  no  small  degree  of  artistic 
taste  and  architectural  skill.  Nearly  every  company  street 
was  ornamented  according  to  the  tastes  of  the  temporary 
tenants,  and  the  "houses"  were  models  of  proficiency  in  wood 
craft.  Boardwalks  were  constructed  of  puncheons,  and  every 
habitation  was  floored  and  contained  convenient  tables  and 
comfortable  bunks.  Some  of  the  officers'  quarters  were  fur 
nished  with  walnut  bedsteads,  sideboards,  and  marble-topped 
tables  "hypothecated"  by  the  soldiers  from  the  neighboring 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  185 

residences  without  the  written  or  verbal  permission  or  consent 
of  the  original  owners. 

Division  hospital  was  established  near  the  Potomac  Creek 
bridge  and  the  wounded,  who  had  been  brought  back  in 
ambulances  from  the  battlefield,  and  those  who  were  subse 
quently  brought  in  under  the  truce  which  was  arranged  for 
that  purpose,  were  comfortably  situated  and  well  cared  for. 
On  the  nth  day  of  May  the  Third  Corps  was  reviewed  by 
Major  General  Sickles.  It  was  indeed  sad  to  notice  the 
decimated  ranks  of  the  gallant  regiments  composing  it,  as 
compared  with  the  numbers  present  on  review  previous  to  the 
sanguinary  battles  of  the  Cedars  and  Chancellorsville. 

Among  the  incidents  of  the  Battle  of  Chancellorsville 
worthy  of  special  mention,  was  the  heroic  conduct  of  Annie 
Etheridge,  who  was  known  and  respected  by  every  soldier  of 
the  Kearney  Division,  and  as  brave  and  worthy  a  heroine  as 
ever  received  the  plaudits  of  mankind,  or  the  praises  of  the 
historian's  or  poet's  pen. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  war,  many  regiments  recruited 
and  mustered  laundresses  as  provided  for  at  that  time  by  army 
regulations.  ,  Annie  Etheridge,  a  young  and  remarkable  attrac 
tive  girl  from  humble  life,  was  among  the  laundresses  of  the 
Third  Michigan  Volunteers.  When  the  regiment  was  ordered 
to  the  front,  the  other  women  returned  to  their  homes,  but 
Annie  determined  to  "follow  the  flag."  She  accompanied  the 
regiment,  marching  with  the  men,  camping  and  bivouacking 
with  them  through  all  their  campaigns  and  engagements.  In 
camp,  quiet,  modest  and  industrious;  in  time  of  action,  fearless 
and  regardless  of  danger,  attending  to  the  wants  of  the 
wounded  under  the  severest  fire,  she  soon  became  a  favorite  of 
all,  and  woe  to  the  soldier  of  any  other  command  who  uttered 
a  disrespectful1  word  in  her  presence. 

At  the  Battle  of  Williamsburg,  while  dressing  wounds  under 
fire,  she  attracted  the  attention  of  General  Kearney,  who  pre 
sented  her  with  sergeant's  chevrons,  ordered  the  quarter 
master  to  provide  her  with  a  horse  and  saddle,  and  announced 
that  he  would,  at  the  first  opportunity,  recommend  her  for  a 


186  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

sergeant's  pay  and  warrant.  After  this,  she  was  attached  to 
brigade  headquarters  for  more  than  a  year,  serving  at  the  same 
time  as  cook  for  the  officers'  mess. 

Sharing  all  the  privations  of  soldiers,  always  at  the  front 
in  time  of  action,  with  a  kind  word  for  the  weary  and  a  helping 
hand  for  the  sick  or  wounded,  she  became  a  universal  favorite 
with  officers  and  men.  During  the  most  severe  shelling  on 
Sunday  morning  at  Chancellorsville,  she  rode  up  where  the 
brigade  commander  and  his  staff  were  watching  the  progress 
of  the  fight,  and  insisted  upon  their  eating  some  breakfast  and 
drinking  hot  coffee  which  she  had  thoughtfully  prepared. 
Ordered  repeatedly  to  seek  a  place  of  safety  in  the  rear,  she 
insistently  refused  until  each  one  of  the  group  had  taken  a 
drink  of  coffee  from  her  canteen,  "and  a  hard  tack  or  two,  if 
nothing  more."  While  serving  the  "meal,"  three  horses  were 
shot  and  either  killed  or  disabled  under  their  riders  by  her 
side,  but  she  never  flinched  or  betrayed  the  slightest  emotion 
of  fear.  Upon  this  eventful  Sunday,  later  in  the  day,  the 
enemy's  fire  had  killed  nearly  every  horse  of  one  of  our  bat 
teries  on  the  firing  line,  several  of  the  caissons  had  been 
exploded  and  more  than  half  of  the  men  shot  ajt  their  posts. 
Disheartened,  the  remainder  were  about  to  abandon  the  guns 
when  Annie,  on  her  little  roan  mare,  rode  calmly  up  to  the 
battery,  so  thinned  and  decimated  and  smiling,  said :  "That's 
right,  boys ;  now  you've  got  good  range,  keep  it  up  and  you'll 
soon  silence  the  guns !"  The  men  took  courage,  remained  at 
their  posts,  kept  up  their  fire  and  not  only  silenced  the  enemy's 
batteries,  but  saved  their  own  pieces  which  they  were  about 
to  abandon.  One  of  the  artillery  men  relating  the  incident, 
remarked :  "All  the  officers  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  could 
not  have  had  as  much  influence  over  the  men  as  did  that  brave 
little  sergeant  in  petticoats."  At  another  time  during  the  day, 
she  narrowly  escaped  capture.  Riding  along  the  extreme  front 
on  her  errand  of  mercy  in  search  of  the  wounded,  she 
approached  within  a  rod  of  the  enemy's  line  and  was  chal 
lenged.  Grasping  the  pistol  which  she  always  wore  in  her 
belt,  and  wheeling  her  pony  to  the  rear,  amid  a  shower  of 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  187 

bullets,  she  reached  a  place  of  safety  with  several  bullet  holes 
in  her  skirt.  She  said  that  she  determined  to  do  a  little  fight 
ing  on  her  own  hook  rather  than  submit  to  capture. 

On  the  27th  of  May,  the  division  was  paraded  to  witness 
the  presentation  of  the  Kearney  medals.  These  badges  of 
honor  were  of  bronze  in  the  form  of  a  Maltese  cross,  suspended 
from  a  bar,  and  were  presented  by  a  number  of  patriotic 
Philadelphians  at  the  suggestion  of  General  Birney,  to  such 
enlisted  men  as  had  particularly  distinguished  themselves  in 
action  by  gallant  conduct  and  conspicuous  bravery.  The 
recipients  of  the  medals  were  non-commissioned  officers  and 
privates  recommended  by  their  superior  officers  for  this  dis 
tinction.  Speeches  appropriate  to  the  occasion  were  made  by 
General  Birney  and  the  brigade  antl  regimental  commanders 
of  his  division.  Among  the  recipients  of  the  medals  was  Annie 
Etheridge,  and  as  she  modestly  accepted  The  badge  of  bravery 
from  the  hands  of  General  Birney,  there  was  not  a  soldier  in 
the  division  who  did  not  feel  that  it  was  -a  just  and  fitting 
tribute  to  a  brave  woman. 

Among  the  members  of  the  Sixty-thM  fliere  was  a  diversity 
of  sentiment  as  to  the  value  of  the  decoration ;  some  who  had 
been  promoted  from  the  ranks  and  whose  commissions  were 
awaiting  their  acceptance,  begged  the  commanding  officer  to 
withhold  their  promotion  and  permit  them  to  accept  the  medal 
for  which  they  had  been  recommended,  preferring  it  to  a 
lieutenant's  shoulder  straps.  Others  regarded  it  as  a  meaning 
less  bauble  and  signified  their  willingness  to  "trade  it  off"  for 
a  square  drink  of  whiskey.  This  medal  of  honor,  as  far  as 
known,  was  the  only  badge  of  bravery  presented  during  the 
war  to  the  soldiers  for  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct,  and  is 
today  cherished  by  those  to  whom  it  was  awarded,  as  any 
iron  cross  or  star  of  the  legion  of  honor  bestowed  by  foreign 
potentates  of  European  governments. 

Prior  to  the  presentation  proper,  the  division  was  paraded 
in  solid  order,  and  the  following  order  was  read : 


188  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

Headquarters  First  Division,  Third  Corps, 

May  16,   1863. 
General  Order  No.  48: 

The  General  commanding  division,  congratulates  it  on  its  achieve 
ments  of  the  2nd  and  3rd  of  May.  The  division  pierced  the  center 
of  the  enemy's  column,  captured  over  seven  hundred  prisoners,  then 
returning,  breaking  through  the  enemy,  who  had  closed  on  its  rear, 
executed  successfully  the  order  of  the  Major  General  commanding 
the  army,  to  attack  at  midnight;  then  receiving  the  enemy's  attack 
at  daylight,  held  his  hordes  in  check  and  at  bay  until  ordered  to 
withdraw  and  hold  a  position  of  honor  given  it  in  front  of  the  new 
line. 

The  division  has  added  to  the  reputation  gained  at  Yorktown, 
Williamsburg,  Fair  Oaks,  Glendale,  Malvern  Hill,  Manassas,  Chan- 
tilly  and  Fredericksburg,  and  can  now  add  to  those  names,  the 
Cedars  and  Chancellorsville. 

The  Brigadier  General  commanding  the  division,  announces  the 
following  names  of  meritorious  and  distinguished  non-commissioned 
officers  and  privates  selected  for  their  gallantry  as  recipients  of  the 
"Kearney  Cross,"  the  division  decoration,  as  follows: 

Corporal  George  Gibson,  Company  A,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Corporal  Isaac  McKeag,  Company  A,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Sergeant  David  Strachan,  Company  B,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Corporal  George  F.  House,  Company  B,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Sergeant  Henry  Kelly,  Company  C,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Corporal  David  Lesseig,  Company  C,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Private  Samuel  Hart,  Company  C,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Sergeant  Thos.  Cahoon,  Company  D,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Sergeant  John  C.  Gray,  Company  D,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Sergeant  Robert  Henry,  Company  E,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Corporal  John  Heist,  Company  E,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Private  John  Seifert,  Company  F,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Private  Stewart  W.  Fulton,  Company  F,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Sergeant  W.  R.  Nicholson,  Company  G,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Private  A.  T.  Moore,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 

Corporal  Frank  H.  Johnston,  Company  G,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Sergeant  Pater  Weaver,  Company  H,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Sergeant  Hugh  Kenney,  Company  H,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Corporal  Henry  Campbell,  Company  H,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Corporal  Phillip  Allebrand,  Company  I,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Private  John  Allebrand,  Company  I,  Sixty-third  P..  V. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  189 

Private  James  Gallatin,  Company  I,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Corporal  'John  H.  Smith,  Company  K,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
Corporal  Frank  Rafter,  Company  K,  Sixty-third  P.  V. 
The  Cross  is  in  honor  of  our  leader,  and  the  wearers  of  it  will 
always  remember  his  high  standard  of  a  true  and  brave  soldier,  and 
will  never  disgrace  it. 

D.  B.  BIRNEY, 
Brigadier  General  Commanding. 

On  the  6th  of  June,  indications  pointed  to  another  forward 
movement  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  A  portion  of  the 
Sixth  Corps  again  crossed  the  river  below  Fredericksburg  and 
occupied  the  meadow,  throwing  up  lines  of  breastworks  and 
entrenchments  and  diverting  the  attention  of  the  enemy  by 
occasional  demonstrations. 

On  June  nth  we  broke  camp  and  entered  upon  the  Gettys 
burg  campaign.  The  weather  was  extremely  warm  when  we 
began  the  long  march  northward,  and  there  was  considerable 
straggling,  but  the  boys  all  came  up  in  the  evening.  On  the 
I3th  we  marched  to  within  a  short  distance  of  Rappahannock 
Station,  and  on  the  I4th  moved  to  Manassas  Junction.  This 
was  one  of  the  warmest  days  of  that  hot  summer,  and  several 
of  our  men  were  prostrated  by  the  heat.  On  the  i6th  we 
moved  to  Bull  Run,  and  camped  at  Mitchell's  Ford. 

General  Alex  Hays  was  in  command  hereabout,  and  with 
his  staff,  A.  A.  General  Captain  Corts,  and  A.  D.  C.  Lieutenant 
Shields,  all  old  members  of  the  Sixty-third,  received  us  very 
pleasantly;  the  ale  they  gave  us  surely  washed  our  throats 
quite  clear  of  the  dust. 

On  the  1 7th  we  marched  to  Centerville.  On  the  afternoon 
of  that  day,  after  we  had  started  on  the  march  from  Gum 
Springs,  a  severe  storm  of  rain,  thunder  and  lightning  set  in, 
and  we  were  drenched.  We  reached  Gum  Springs  during  the 
night  of  the  2Oth  and  remained  there  until  the  25th  of  June. 
The  entire  country  in  this  vicinity  was  infested  by  guerrillas 
and  promiscuous  straggling,  and  foraging  was  peremptorily 
forbidden.  Gum  Springs  was  a  most  forlorn  and  desolate 
looking  hamlet  in  a  state  of  complete  decay. 


190  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

It  was  here  we  learned  that  Lee's  Army  was  on  the  march 
to  Pennsylvania.  We  at  once  broke  camp  and  crossed  the 
Potomac  at  Edward's  Ferry,  and  moved  up  the  river  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Monoccacy,  and  on  the  26th,  moved  to  Point  of 
Rocks  on  the  Potomac.  On  the  27th  we  started  about  8 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  passing  through  Jefferson,  and  halted 
for  the  night  near  Middletown,  Md.,  about  a  mile  from  the 
latter  place. 

The  corps  marched  through  both  these  places  in  column  by 
company,  with  colors  unfurled  and  brass  bands  and  drum 
corps  playing  patriotic  airs.  Here  we  witnessed  the  first 
expression  of  Union  sentiment  that  had  gladdened  our  eyes 
and  hearts  for  many  months.  "Old  Glory"  was  displayed  from 
most  of  the  houses  and  fair  ladies  greeted  the  soldiers  with 
approving  smiles  and  words  of  welcome.  A  thousand  hand 
kerchiefs  waved  from  windows  and  house  tops,  and  on  every 
side  from  loyal  citizens,  old  and  young,  we  received  assur 
ances  of  sympathy,  welcome,  and  good  will.  Such  enthusiasm 
and  demonstrations  of  patriotism  were  indeed  gratifying  to 
men  who  had  been  so  long  in  an  unfriendly  country  and  sur 
rounded  by  the  bitterest  foes.  The  soldiers  cheered  the  old 
flag  and  the  ladies  vociferously,  and  enjoyed  the  occasion  to 
the  fullest  extent.  The  rebel  army  had  passed  through  these 
places  but  a  few  days  before  and  the  citizens  hailed  our  coming 
with  unmistakable  pleasure.  Continuing  our  march  we  passed 
through  Fairview,  and  arrived  at  Frederick  City  shortly  after 
noon.  We  marched  for  nearly  a  mile  through  the  beautiful 
city  and  our  progress  was  again  one  continued  ovation.  The 
day,  the  occasion,  and  the  reception  we  received  here  will  for 
ever  be  cherished  in  the  memory  of  the  soldiers  of  the  old 
Third  Army  Corps. 

Frederick  City  will  be  remembered  as  the  home  of  "Barbara 
Frietche,"  whose  determined  devotion  to  our  glorious  banner 
during  the  march  of  the  rebel  army  through  the  streets  won 
the  admiration  of  Stonewall  Jackson,  when 

"She  leaned  far  out  the  window  still 
And  shook  it  forth  with  a  royal  will." 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  191 

After  a  short  halt  for  rest  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  we 
continued  our  march,  bivouacking  for  the  night  near  Walkers- 
ville.  Our  course  lay  through  a  most  magnificent  section  of 
the  State.  Large  fields  of  waving  wheat,  ripe  for  the  harvest, 
splendid  farm  houses,  spacious  granaries,  barns  and  store 
houses,  bespeaking  the  fruitfulness  and  fertility  of  the  soil  and 
the  thrift  and  industry  of  its  people  abounded  along  our  route, 
and  we  had  the  happy  consciousness  of  knowing  and  feeling 
that  \ve  were  once  more  among  friends.  At  this  place  we 
received  the  intelligence  that  General  Hooker  had  been 
relieved  from  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
and  General  George  G.  Meade  of  Pennsylvania  had  been 
appointed  his  successor.  Hooker's  farewell  and  Meade's  order 
in  assuming  the  command  were  here  promulgated  to  the 
troops. 

On  the  29th  our  march  was  continued  through  Walkersville, 
Woodbury,  Middlebury  and  Taneytown,  and  our  reception  in 
the  various  places  as  extremely  enthusiastic.  Ladies  and 
young  girls  distributed  beautiful  bouquets  to  the  officers  and 
soldiers ;  groups  of  fair  damsels  bewitchingly  posted  in  con 
spicuous  places  sang  patriotic  airs  as  the  "boys  in  blue" 
passed  by  and  the  passage  of  troops  being  a  novelty  here,  the 
citizens  turned  out  en  masse.  Long  after  tattoo,  groups  of 
ladies  and  gentlemen  promenaded  through  our  camps,  actuated 
by  a  curiosity  to  see  how  soldiers  really  lived  in  the  tented 
field. 

On  the  3Oth  the  various  regiments  of  the  army  were  "mus 
tered  for  pay"  and  in  the  afternoon  we  were  again  en  route, 
marching  through  Taneytown  and  Bridgeport,  to  near 
Emmettsburg. 

The  morning  of  Wednesday,  July  1st,  was  cloudy  with 
signs  of  rain.  At  9  o'clock  tents  were  struck  and  the  battalions 
in  line  pursuant  to  orders.  De  Trobriand's  Brigade,  with  one 
from  the  Second  Corps  and  a  light  battery,  were  left  near 
Emmettsburg  to  guard  one  of  the  mountain  passes,  and  the 


192  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

remainder  of  the  corps  pushed  on  to  Gettysburg.  Rumors 
reached  us  here  of  a  severe  engagement  at  that  place  in  which 
the  First  and  Eleventh  Corps  participated,  and  of  the  death 
of  the  gallant  Major  General  Reynolds,  commanding  the  First 
Corps. 


Sixty-third  Regiment  Monument,  Gettysburg  Battlefield. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

(From  July  1,  1863,  to  July  7,  1863.) 


THE  BATTLES  OF  GETTYSBURG,  "DEVIL'S  DEN"  AND  LITTLE  ROUND 
TOP,  AND  "LONGSTREET'S  A  SSAULT"— CAPTURED  BATTLE  FLAGS— 
THE  "FOURTH"  ON'  THE  FIELD. 


It  was  the  languid  hour  of  noon, 
When  all  the  birds  were  out  of  tune, 
And  nature  in  a  sultry  swoon, 
In  pleasant  Pennsylvania! 

When — sudden  o'er  the  slumbering  plain, 
Red  flashed  the  battle's  fiery  rain — 
The  volleying  cannon  shook  again 
The  hills  of  Pennsylvania! 

Beneath  that  curse  of  iron  hail, 
That  threshed  the  plain  with  flashing  flail, 
Well  might  the  stoutest  soldier  quail, 
In  echoing  Pennsylvania! 

Then,  like  a  sudden  summer  rain, 
Storm  driven  o'er  the  darkened  plain, — 
They  burst  upon  our  ranks  and  main, 
In  startled  Pennsylvania! 

We  felt  the  old  ancestral  thrill, 
From  sire  to  son,  transmitted  still 
And  fought  for  freedom  with  a  will, 
In  pleasant  Pennsylvania! 

The  breathless  shock — the  maddened  toil — 
The  sudden  clinch — the  sharp  recoil — 
And  we  were  masters  of  the  soil, 
In  bloody  Pennsylvania! 

To  Westward  fell  the  beaten  foe, — 

The  growl  of  battle,  hoarse  and  low 

WTas  heard  anon — but  dying  slow, 

In  ransomed  Pennsylvania! 

Sou'westward,  with  the  sinking  sun, 
The  cloud  of  battle,  dense  and  dun, 
Flashed  into  fire — and  all  was  won 
In  joyful  Pennsylvania! 


1D4  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

But  ah! — the  heaps  of  loyal  slain! 
The  bloody  toil! — the  bitter  pain! 
For  those  who  shall  not  stand  again 
In  pleasant  Pennsylvania! 

Back  through  the  verdant  valley  lands, 
Fast  fled  the  foe,  in  frightened  bands, 
With  broken  swords  and  empty  hands, 
Out  of  Pennsylvania! 

N  THE  morning  of  July  2nd  the  Sixty-third  was  on  picket 
duty  and  some  brisk  skirmishing  with  the  enemy  occupy 
ing  the  "peach  orchard''  and  the  grounds  around  the  Sherfy 
house  ensued. 

From  the  peach  orchard  the  line  of  Birney's  division  curved 
around  to  the  "Devil's  Den,"  at  the  foot  of  little  Round  Top, 
where  Ward's  and  de  Trobriand's  brigades,  were  stationed. 
Hood's  division  of  the  Confederates  was  opposite  our  right 
and  Barkdale's  brigade  was  in  our  immediate  front. 

Captain  Robert  A.  Nesbitt,  of  Company  A,  thus  describes 
the  part  taken  by  the  Sixty-third  on  the  second  day's  fight  at 
Gettysburg : 

On  the  evening  of  July  1st,  the  Sixty-third  Regiment  moved  up  the 
Emmettsburg  and  Gettysburg  road,  taking  a  position  that  afterwards 
proved  to  be  the  spot  chosen  by  Sickles  to  fight  Longstreet,  on  the 
afternoon  of  July  3rd.  On  the  same  evening  the  regiment  moved  out 
along  the  Emmettsburg  and  Gettysburg  road,  with  left  opposite  what 
it  now  known  as  the  "Peach  Orchard,"  and  facing  "Confederate  Ave 
nue,"  where  the  enemy  was  posted  in  the  woods.  The  extreme  left, 
where  Company  B  was  stationed,  and  just  on  the  left  of  the  orchard 
the  members  of  the  Sixty-third  Regiment  tore  down  the  rail  fences 
and  'built  a  rifle  pit,  facing  the  enemy  across  an  oats  field.  Here 
we  remained  all  night,  pickets  in  the  road,  and  at  3  o'clock  on  the 
afternoon  of  July  2nd,  the  enemy  was  discovered  approaching  with  a 
long  line  of  skirmishers,  their  right  extending  a  half  mile  or  more 
beyond  the  Sixty-third's  extreme  left.  At  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
the  commanding  officers  of  the  rebel  line  was  now  almost  in  front 
when  the  officer  in  command  of  the  Union  line  gave  orders  to  fire 
and  kill  the  commanding  officer  of  Longstreet's  skirmish  line.  All 
fired  and  he  fell  dead  in  his  tracks.  We  held  the  line  in  our  immedi 
ate  front,  firing  at  every  head  that  showed  above  the  oats.  The 
rebels'  skirmish  line  on  the  right,  not  being  opposed  by  any  troops, 
tried  to  form  a  loop  round  the  left  of  the  Union  skirmish  line  and 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  195 

while  the  left  of  the  Sixty-third  was  fighting  thus  a  rebel  battery 
was  posted  on  the  extreme  right  of  the  Confederate  line.  The  left 
of  the  Union  line  fell  back,  forming  a  triangle  towards  Emmettsburg 
and  facing  what  is  now  known  as  Confederate  Avenue.  A  battery 
of  light  artillery  was  posted  immediately  in  the  rear  of  a  little  log 
house  in  the  orchard.  Here  an  artillery  duel  was  fought  over  the 
left  of  the  Union  skirmish  line.  They  remained  in  this  position  until 
the  One  Hundred  and  Fortieth  New  York  made  connection  with  their 
regiment  on  the  left  of  Company  B,  and  moved  across  toward  the 
Devil's  Den,  facing  the  enemy  as  it  moved  toward  Round  Top.  When 
Sickles  had  his  corps,  as  he  thought,  properly  formed,  we  were 
ordered  away  from  the  position  which  we  were  holding  and  were 
moved  back  to  the  Heights  where  the  regiment  was  reformed. 

For  about  two  hours  our  brigade  was  exposed  to  a  terrific 
artillery  fire,  the  battalions  of  the  enemy  pouring  in  a  fierce 
hail  of  shells.  After  this  the  rebel  infantry  came  rushing  at 
us  through  the  fields  west  of  the  Sherfy  house,  and  we  dis 
covered  that  they  had  broken  through  the  peach  orchard  and 
were  swarming  up  the  road  in  our  rear.  We  were  compelled 
to  fall  back,  the  battle  raging  until  dark. 

The  fighting  in  front  of  our  lines  during  this  memorable 
2nd  of  July,  was  fierce  and  furious.  Houghton,  the  historian 
of  the  Seventeenth  Maine,  which  was  in  the  division,  says  : 

"At  times  the  fighting  was  hand  to  hand.  At  one  point  a 
rebel  color  was  planted  upon  the  very  wall  behind  which  we 
lay ;  it  remained,  however,  but  an  instant ;  the  color  bearer  was 
shot  down,  and  as  he  fell,  the  flag  was  seized  by  a  comrade 
and  borne  to  the  rear.  Here  and  there,  individual  rebels  had 
gained  the  other  side  of  the  wall,  and  fought  till  they  fell, 
separated  from  us  only  by  the  thickness  of  the  wall.  Hundreds 
were  killed  within  three  feet  of  the  wall  and  many  were  pierced 
by  Union  bayonets  as  they  attempted  to  scale  it." 

On  the  morning  of  July  3rd,  our  brigade  was  posted  in  a 
grove  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  to  the  rear  of  the  Sherfy 
house.  Here  we  remained  until  about  2  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon  when  the  terrible  cannonading  which  preceded  Long- 
street's  assault,  or  Pickett's  desperate  charge,  began.  The 
roar  of  that  cannonading  will  never  be  forgotten  while  life 
lasts,  by  any  of  the  soldiers  who  were  at  Gettysburg.  We 


196  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

were  ordered  into  line,  and  facing  to  the  right  advanced  at 
double-quick,  and  formed  a  line  in  the  rear  of  the  artillery. 
Soon  loud  cheering  began  on  the  right,  and  we  knew  that  the 
last  effort  of  the  rebels  had  failed.  The  "high  water  mark"  of 
the  Confederacy  had  been  reached,  and  for  the  first  time  the 
rebel  army,  beaten  and  demoralized,  was  falling  back  in  defeat. 

The  rolls  of  the  Sixty-third  show  that  there  were  twenty 
officers  and  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  men  reported  for 
duty.  The  number  actually  carried  into  action  at  the  Battle 
of  Gettysburg  is  not  recorded.  The  losses  reported  in  this 
battle  were : 

Killed,  i  private;  wounded,  officers,  3;  privates,  26;  cap 
tured  or  missing,  4  privates ;  a  total  of  34  casualties. 

While  the  Sixty-third  was  holding  its  perilous  position  with 
Birney's  Division  of  the  Third  Corps  on  the  left  of  the  line, 
in  front  of  the  Round  Tops,  General  Hays,  with  two  officers 
of  the  regiment,  members  of  his  staff,  George  P.  Corts,  captain 
:and  assistant  adjutant  general,  and  David  Shields,  lieutenant 
and  aide  de  camp,  on  another  portion  of  the  field  were  con 
spicuous  in  bearing  the  brunt  of  the  battle  in  front  of  the 
point  made  famous  in  history  as'  the  scene  of  "Longstreet's 
Assault,"  erroneously  designated  by  some  historians  as 
"Pickett's  Charge." 

General  Hays  was  assigned  by  orders  from  army  headquar 
ters,  after  General  Meade  had  assumed  command  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  to  the  command  of  the  Third  Division  of  the 
Second  Corps,  General  Hancock's,  receiving  his  assignment 
during  the  march  of  the  army  at  Gum  Springs  on  June  26, 
1863. 

But  two  persons  in  the  centre  division,  the  officers  above 
named,  had  ever  been  with  him  in  an  engagement,  or  per 
sonally  witnessed  his  conduct  and  bravery  under  fire.  Arriv 
ing  upon  the  battlefield  with  his  new  command,  and  realizing 
the  situation  and  magnitude  of  the  pending  conflict,  the  gen 
eral  was  naturally  somewhat  concerned  and  anxious  to  gain 
the  confidence  of  the  officers  and  men  of  the  division.  The 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  197 

opportunity  came  when  a  lieutenant  from  the  skirmish  line 
excitedly  announced  to  him  that  Colonel  Sherrill,  division 
officer  of  the  day,  reported  that  his  command  was  suffering 
severely  and  that  he  was  afraid  they  would  be  forced  to  retire. 
The  lieutenant  was  very  persistent,  and  the  general  replied : 
"There  are  as  many  men  out  there  as  are  necessary,  and  they 
are  as  good  men  as  there  are  in  this  division ;  they  must  hold 
the  ground."  "But,"  the  lieutenant  replied,  "Colonel  Sherrill 
says  that  he  will  not  be  responsible  for  them  remaining  there." 
General  Hays  answered :  "Well,  I  will  go  out  and  stiffen  'em 
up."  Accordingly,  with  members  of  the  staff,  a  number  of 
orderlies  and  the  division  flag,  (white  field  with  blue  trefoil), 
flying  in  the  breeze,  he  rode  to  the  front  and  along  the  entire 
skirmish  line  covering  his  command.  The  enemy,  astonished 
at  the  appearance  of  this  imposing  cavalcade  on  the  skirmish 
line,  ceased  firing  at  the  skirmishers  and  directed  their  atten 
tion  exclusively  to  the  mounted  officers  and  men.  The  general, 
for  whom  these  compliments  (?)  were  especially  intended, 
wonderful  to  relate,  was  not  once  hit  nor  was  his  clothing 
pierced  by  the  leaden  shower.  His  horse  received  several 
wounds  but  was  not  disabled,  and  the  division  flag  showed 
eighteen  bullet  holes  received  during  this  daring  adventure. 
Such  an  exhibition  of  manly  courage  and  unflinching  bravery 
upon  so  unusual  an  occasion,  won  for  him  the  admiration  of 
the  enemy  and  the  confidence  of  his  entire  command ;  there 
was  no  further  talk  of  "running  in"  from  the  skirmish  line. 

On  the  occasion  of  Longs-treet's  famous  assault  on  the  3rd 
of  July,  which  was  directed  upon  the  front  of  this  division, 
General  Hays  had  in  his  command,  to  oppose  them,  only 
about  three  thousand  men.  The  artillery  fire,  though  terrific 
in  its  volume,  was  not  very  effective  at  this  point  as  our 
infantry  was  lying  .down  and  in  front  of  the  artillery,  which 
it  seemed  the  enemy  was  determined  to  destroy. 

When  our  artillery  fire  had  about  ceased,  the  infantry  of  the 
enemy  came  into  the  open  from  the  woods,  over  half  a  mile 
distant,  where  they  had  formed  for  the  charge,  in  three  lines 
preceded  by  a  strong  skirmish  line,  marching  well  and  bravely 


198  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

in  the  direction  of  Hays'  position.  When  they  had  fully 
developed  their  column  into  the  open  ground,  there  appeared 
a  separate  and  detached  command  on  their  left,  much  farther 
advanced,  but  not  directed  on  Hays'  immediate  front.  Had 
they  been  able  to  continue  their  movement,  they  would  have 
passed  to  our  right,  but  they  received  such  a  murderous  fire 
from  our  sharpshooters,  skirmishers,  and  artillery  that  they 
were  thrown  into  utter  confusion  and  went  back.  This,  it  was 
ascertained,  was  Brockenbrough's  brigade,  and  did  what  was 
expected  of  it,  covered  the  left  flank  of  the  main  column.  Had 
the  right  covering  brigade  moved  as  timely,  Pickett's  division 
would  have  been  enabled  to  reach  their  farthest  advance  in 
better  order  than  they  did.  As  the  right  flank  of  the  main 
column  received  so  severe  a  fire  from  our  artillery,  they  gave 
way  to  the  left,  so  when  some  400  yards  away  they  evidently 
attempted  to  regain  their  correct  alignment  and  measurably 
succeeded,  thereby  relieving  the  pressure  to  the  left  and  came 
directly  towards  us  in  front.  It  could  not  be  long  enough 
continued  to  regain  their  lost  direction  or  guide,  as  they  then 
came  under  our  infantry  fire,  which  was  so  destructive  that 
they  were  thrown  into  inextricable  confusion ;  those  in  front 
(the  nearest  twenty  (20)  yards)  lay  down,  threw  up  their 
hands,  crying  to  us  to  cease  firing.  Hays'  division  then 
directed  its  fire  upon  those  in  the  rear,  who  were  wavering, 
some  trying  to  go  forward,  others  hesitating,  and  many  going 
to  the  rear.  Those  in  front  came  into  our  lines,  some  crawling 
on  their  bellies,  and  others  in  a  stooping  position  to  avoid  our 
fire.  They  were  permitted  to  go  to  the  rear,  unguarded  and 
uncounted,  it  is  reckoned  they  were  more  in  numbers  than 
there  were  in  Hays'  division.  The  regiment  on  the  extreme 
right  of  this  command,  the  Eighth  Ohio,  captured  the  colors 
of  a  rebel  regiment  of  Armistead's  brigade,  which  was  on  the 
extreme  right  of  their  main  column,  showing  the  great  con 
fusion  they  were  in. 

It  was  a  glorious  victory  and  gloriously  did  General  Hays, 
the  members  of  his  staff,  and  entire  command  enjoy  it.  Under 
the  inspiration  of  this  feeling  General  Hays  seized  one  of  the 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  199 

captured  flags,  handing  one  each  to  Captain  Corts  and  Lieu 
tenant  Shields,  his  aids,  directing  them  to  follow  him. 
The  three,  trailing  the  flags  in  the  dust  at  the  heels  of  their 
horses,  rode  in  triumph  along  the  front  of  the  division  line 
over  the  dead  and  wounded  of  the  enemy,  possessed  wholly  by 
the  spirit  and  exhiliration  of  victory. 

The  flags  were  then  returned  to  their  captors  and  the 
general,  accompanied  by  Lieutenant  Shields,  proceeded  to  the 
left  of  the  line  to  ascertain  how  affairs  had  gone  there. 

While  looking  at  a  number  of  the  Union  dead,  dressed  in 
dark  blue  zouave  uniforms,  among  our  artillery,  and  wonder 
ing  how  they  could  have  been  so  faultily  left  there  instead  of 
being  moved  forward  in  line  with  the  others,  General  A.  S. 
Webb,  in  command  there,  rode  up  to  General  Hays,  with  his 
hat  off,  very  much  excited,  and  said :  "Hays,  they  got  through 
my  line."  "I'll  be  damned  if  they  got  through  mine,"  Hays 
replied.  Webb  wheeled  his  horse  around  and  rode  away. 
This  was  the  Philadelphia  brigade  of  the  Second  Corps  sta 
tioned  on  our  immediate  left. 

During  the  afternoon  of  this  day  Major  General  Daniel  E. 
Sickles,  the  gallant  commander  of  the  Third  Corps  who  was 
throughout  the  entire  engagement,  in  the  very  front,  received 
a  severe  wound  in  the  leg  which  rendered  amputation  neces 
sary.  While  being  borne  from  the  field  upon  a  stretcher,  he 
coolly  lighted  a  cigar  and  puffed  away  with  as  much  non 
chalance  as  though  enjoying  an  after  dinner  siesta  at  his  own 
headquarters.  Referring  to  this  day's  engagement,  Abbott's 
History  of  the  Civil  War,  says  : 

"The  brave  Third  Corps,  under  the  imperturable  Sickles,  stood 
like  granite  blocks.  They  were  tried  troops;  the  enemy,  thirty  to 
forty  thousand  strong  in  numbers,  beat  vainly  on  their  lines,  again 
and  again." 

DePeyster,  the  ever  zealous  historian  of  the  Third  Corps, 
in  an  address  to  the  Third  Corps  Union,  says : 

"The  crimson  sunrise  of  the  Third  Corps  at  Williamsburg  was 
followed  by  a  brilliant  and  cloudless  noon  on  the  Peninsula  and  in 
North  Eastern  Virginia,  and  just  as  the  sun  is  hotter  and  more 
overpowering  in  the  afternoon,  even  so  the  splendors  of  the  old 


200  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

Third  glorified  its  sinking  and  setting  at  Chancellorsville  and  Gettys 
burg — . 

At  Gettysburg,  if  not  the  first  upon  the  field,  it  was  the  first  in  its 
efforts  to  pursue  the  key-points  on  our  left.  Its  unparalleled  devo 
tion  and  fearful  suffering  in  the  lowlands  to  their  front,  saved  the 
Round  Tops. 

On  the  second  day  of  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg — the  real  day  of 
the  Battle  of  Gettysburg — the  glory  belongs  to  the  Third  Corps, 
even  as  it  did  on  the  second,  the  day  of  the  Battle  of  Chancellors 
ville.  There  it  lost  its  beloved  chief,  Sickles;  and  there,  in  the  front 
rank  fell,  almost  shot  to  pieces,  his  successor  in  command  of  the 
'Excelsiors/  Graham,  lately  the  honored  head  of  this  association — 

This  was  the  last  grand  fight  of  the  "Third  Corps,  as  we  under 
stand  it;"  but  not  the  last  grand  fight  of  the  heroes  who  consti 
tuted  its  brains  and  muscles,  its  fire  and  its  backbone. 

The  work  of  the  old  Third  has  been  revealed  under  fire,  through 
fire,  by  fire.  Let  us  ever  bear  in  mind  that  the  Red  Diamond  Lozenge 
or  patch  of  Kearney,  was  the  original  designation  of  the  leading 
division  of  the  Third  Army  Corps  Union — 

But  even  as  the  diamond,  the  ruby  and  the  sapphire  exceeded  in 
value  and  brilliancy  the  carbuncle  or  any  other  jewel,  even  so  the 
lustre  of  our  symbolic  gems  will  outshine  all  other  emblems." 

The  troops  were  nearly  exhausted  by  their  long  marches 
and  severe  fighting  after  the  repulse  of  Pickett's  charge,  and 
remained  upon  the  field  engaged  in  caring  for  the  wounded 
and  burying  the  dead  of  both  armies,  who  lay  thickly  strewn. 

on  the  embattled  field, 

Slain  or  half  dead,  in  one  huge  ghastly  heap 
Promiscuously   amassed.      With   dismal   groans 
And  ejaculations  in  the  pangs  of  death, 
Some  called  for  aid  neglected;  some  o'erturned 
In  the  fierce  shock  lay  gasping,  and  expired, 
Trampled  by  fiery  coursers!    Horror,  thus, 
And  wild  uproar  and  desolation  reigned 
Unrespited." 

The  ground  for  miles  around  was  covered  with  abandoned 
arms  and  accoutrements  of  the  disabled  Union  and  Confeder 
ate  soldiers. 

The  morning  of  July  Fourth — "The  Birthday  of  Our 
Nation" — dawned  in  unusual  splendor  upon  the  ensanguined 
fielck  But  few  shots  were  exchanged  during  the  day,  and 
working  parties  and  hospital  attendants  were  unmolested  in 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  201 

their  tasks  and  works  of  mercy.  Many  of  the  bodies  of  the 
slain,  which  had  lain  in  the  hot  sunshine  for  two  or  three  days, 
were  hideously  swollen  and  distorted,  and  it  was  found  impos 
sible  even  for  intimate  friends  or  relatives  to  recognize  them 
by  their  features. 

Realizing  that  victory  had  perched  for  almost  the  first  time 
upon  the  banners  of  the  Union  Army,  the  bands  and  drum 
corps  of  the  various  regiments,  brigades  and  divisions  which 
had  been  assigned  to  duty  with  the  hospital  and  ambulance 
corps  during  the  engagement,  were  ordered  to  the  front  and 
all  day  long  discoursed  patriotic  airs. 

It  was  apparent  on  the  morning  of  the  5th,  that  the 
defeated  and  discomfited  enemy  was  in  full  retreat,  shame 
fully  abandoning  thousands  of  their  wounded  on  the  battle 
field,  and  in  the  hastily  improvised  field  hospitals,  leaving 
them  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  much-despised  "Yankee 
hirelings"  and  "mudsills/  who  treated  them,  however,  with  the 
same  careful  solicitude  given  to  their  own  soldiers. 

Several  corps  moved  during  the  afternoon  and  evening,  fol 
lowing  up  the  retreating  hosts  of  Lee  and  harassing  his  rear. 

On  the  6th,  while  still  upon  the  field  of  our  glorious  victory, 
intelligence  was  received  of  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  and  the 
troops  became  very  enthusiastic  over  the  "glad  tidings  of 
great  joy."  General  Meade's  modest  congratulatory  order 
was  promulgated  during  the  day. 

On  the  morning  of  July  7th,  the  Sixty-third  was  promptly 
in  line,  with  the  balance  of  the  Third  Corps,  and  flushed  with 
victory,  commenced  its  return  trip  to  the  "sacred  soil"  of  the 
old  Dominion. 

Out  of  a  total  of  thirty-three  flags  taken  by  the  entire  Union 
Army  from  the  enemy  at  Gettysburg,  General  Hays'  command 
captured  twenty-two,  receipts  for  which  are  in  possession  of 
General  Hays'  family,  and  invoices  for  fifteen  are  shown. 
Seven  of  these  flags  were  secreted  by  the  men  capturing  them, 
distributed  as  souvenirs  and  never  turned  in : 


202 


UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 


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CHAPTER  X. 

(Prom  July  7,  1863,  to  September  12,  1863.) 


THE   RETURN   FROM   GETTYSBURG -BATTLE   OF   WAPPING    HEIGHTS— 
SULPHUR  SPRINGS. 


"Flag  of  the  free  heart's  hope  and  home, 

By  angel  hands  to  valor  given! 
Thy  stars  have  lit  the  welkin  dome, 

And  all  they  hues  were  born  in  Heaven. 
Forever  float  that  standard  sheet! 

Where  breathes  the  foe  but  falls  before  us! 
With  freedom's  soil  beneath  our  feet, 
And  freedom's  banner  waving  o'er  us! 
*          *          * 

And  when  the  cannon-mountings  loud 

Heave  in  wild  wreaths  the  battle  shroud, 
And  gory  sabres  rise  and  fall 

Like  shoots  of  flame  on  midnight  pall, 
Then  shall  they  meteor  glances  glow, 

And  cowering  foes  shall  shrink  beneath 
Each  gallant  arm  that  strikes  below 

That  lovely  messenger  of  death." 

— Joseph  Rodman  Drake. 

TP  HE  Battle  of  Gettysburg,  the  first  great  battle  for  the 
Union  fought  on  Freedom's  soil,  had  been  won,  and  a 
demoralized  foe  was  fleeing  from  the  scene  of  the  first  decisive 
defeat,  with  a  victorious  army  in  pursuit.  Traces  of  the  dis 
comfiture  were  everywhere  visible  as  we  passed  through 
Emmettsburg,  Middletown,  Mechanicsville  and  Frederick 
City,  arriving  on  July  Qth  at  a. point  near  South  Mountain. 

On  the  loth  the  march  was  resumed,  and  passing  through 
Keedysville  we  crossed  Antietam  Creek,  and  encamped  near 
the  stone  bridge  made  famous  by  Burnside's  gallant  charge 
on  the  Antietam  battlefield. 

The  Third  Corps  at  South  Mountain  had  been  augumented 
by  General  French's  Division,  which,  during  the  Battle  of 
Gettysburg,  had  been  stationed  at  Harper's  Ferry  and  vicin- 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  205 

ity.  This  division  contained  six  regiments,  numbering  nearly 
seven  thousand  available  men,  while  the  two  old  divisions  of 
the  "Fighting  Third  Corps,"  Hooker's  and  Kearney's,  with 
forty  regiments,  could  scarcely  muster  for  duty  five  thousand 
soldiers.  By  virtue  of  seniority  of  rank,  at  this  point,  Gen 
eral  French  assumed  command  of  the  corps. 

About  noon  on  July  I4th,  word  was  received  that  General 
Lee,  with  his  army,  had  succeeded  in  recrossing  the  Potomac, 
which  had  been  greatly  swollen  by  recent  rains,  and  we  con 
tinued  our  march  in  the  direction  of  Williamsport,  passing 
through  the  strong  lines  of  entrenchments  recently  held  by 
the  retreating  army.  On  the  following  day  we  passed  through 
Fairplay  and  Sharpsburg,  marching  in  the  direction  of 
Harper's  Ferry,  continuing  on  the  i6th  through  Pleasant 
Valley,  bivouacking  for  the  night  near  Sandy  Hook.  On  our 
route  we  passed  the  former  home  of  old  John  Brown,  whose 
soul,  according  to  song  and  tradition,  is  still  valiantly 
"marching  on."  At  4  o'clock  p.  m.  on  July  i6th,  we  crossed 
the  Potomac  at  Harper's  Ferry,  to  the  tune  of 

''Carry  me  back  to  old  Virginia 
To  old  Virginia's  shore." 

Our  column,  in  the  dim,  uncertain  light  of  a  cloudy,  misty 
evening,  dragged  its  slow  length  along  the  base  of  the  moun 
tain  into  the  beautiful  London  Valley,  bivouacking  for  the 
night  at  10  o'clock,  only  to  be  aroused  by  reveille  at  3  o'clock 
the  next  morning,  to  resume  our  pilgrimage  in  the  direction  of 
Leesburg,  going  into  camp  at  noon  for  the  remainder  of  the 
day,  where  wre  enjoyed  a  much-needed  rest.  On  the  morning 
of  July  iQth  we  again  marched  at  daylight,  halting  at  n 
o'clock  a.  m.,  near  Woodville.  On  the  2Oth  we  marched  con 
tinuously  from  4  o'clock  a.  m.  till  3  p.  m.,  when  we  bivouacked 
near  Upperville,  after  covering  about  fifteen  miles.  The  day 
was  hot  and  sultry  and  the  march  a  most  fatiguing  one.  We 
remained  here  during  the  2ist,  and  on  the  following  day 
resumed  our  march,  passing  through  the  villages  of  Piedmont, 
Markham  and  Thayersville,  to  Manassas  Gap.  The  First  and 


206  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

Second  Divisions  were  temporarily  detached  from  the  corps 
and  army  for  the  purpose  of  holding  Manassas  Gap. 

At  3  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  July  23rd,  our  division  was 
once  more  on  the  move  and  formed  in  line  of  battle  on  an 
eminence  overlooking  the  -village  of  Linden,  where  we 
remained  for  a  short  time  while  our  cavalry  scouts  and 
infantry  skirmishers  proceeded  to  "stir  up"  the  enemy  who, 
we  discovered,  had  quite  a  formidable  line  in  our  immediate 
front. 

As  a  support  to  the  skirmishers,  our  division  advanced  in 
line  of  battle  over  hills  and  through  valleys,  until  we  had  suc 
ceeded  in  driving  the  enemy  two  or  three  miles  from  ground 
of  his  own  selection.  The  fields  over  which  we  advanced 
were  not  available  for  artillery,  and  although  the  Keystone 
and  Captain  Robinson's  Fourth  Maine  Batteries  were  with  us, 
they  did  not  open  fire  during  the  day.  General  French,  who 
accompanied  the  division  as  commander,  imagined  that  the 
enemy  was  in  strong  force  in  our  front,  and  by  his  representa 
tions  induced  General  Meade  to  advance  the  whole  army  of 
the  Potomac  to  within  supporting  distance.  In  the  afternoon 
we  were  subjected  to  severe  shelling  from  the  enemy's  bat 
teries,  but  by  forming  our  lines  of  battle  under  the  brow  of  a 
hill  and  taking  advantage  of  natural  protection,  our  loss  dur 
ing  the  day  was  comparatively  light.  The  Second  Division 
bore  the  brunt  of  the  fight,  which  was  known  in  official  reports 
as  the  "Battle  of  Wapping  Heights." 

Colonel  Kirkwood,  having  died  from  wrounds  received  in 
action,  Major  John  A.  Danks  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant 
Colonel,  and  Captain  James  F.  Ryan  to  Major  of  the  Sixty- 
third. 

On  the  morning  of  the  25th,  we  again  took  up  the  line  of 
march,  passing  through  Salem,  and  bivouacking  for  the  night 
in  a  blackberry  patch  near  the  village.  On  the  following  day 
we  passed  through  Warrenton  and  went  into  camp  at  Sulphur 
Springs,  where  communication  with  Washington  was  opened 
for  the  first  time  since  leaving  the  Gettysburg  battlefield. 

Sulphur  Springs  was,  in  ante-bellum  days,  a  famous  resort 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  207 

of  the  chivalry  of  the  South.  Though  the  splendid  buildings 
of  the  once  magnificent  watering  place  were  in  ruins,  the 
"Season"  of  1863,  as  inaugurated  by  the  grand  triumphal 
march  of  the  old  Phil  Kearney  division,  was  fully  equal  in  the 
number  and  prestige  of  its  male  guests  to  the  palmiest  clays 
of  Sulphur  Springs,  when  Davis,  Clay,  Calhoun  and  the  fam 
ous  fire-eaters  and  statesmen  of  the  South  honored  the  place 
with  their  presence  and  languid  valetudinarians,  stately 
matrons,  and  youthful  belles  and  beaux  held  high  carnival 
at  Virginia's  famous  resort. 

Within  a  short  distance  from  Hedgeman's  River  (the  north 
fork  of  the  historic  Rappahannock)  and  six  miles  from  the 
beautiful  little  city  of  Warrenton,  our  summer  encampment 
was  most  delightfully  located  on  the  old  "Tournament 
Grounds,"  where  in  former  times  the  self-styled  chivalry  of 
the  South  were  wont  to  display  the  feats  of  athletic  skill  and 
horsemanship,  in  mimic  warfare,  joust  and  tilt,  to  admiring 
belles,  imitating  the  exploits  of  famous  knights  in  ancient 
days,  when  chivalry  was  more  than  an  empty  name. 

On  these  famous  grounds,  the  white  tents  of  "Northern 
mudsills"  were  pitched  and  their  daily  drills,  reviews  and  dress 
parades  presented  a  far  more  beautiful  and  inspiring  spectacle 
than  even  the  best  days  of  Sulphur  Springs  could  boast.  The 
large  hotel,  once  capable  of  accommodating  fifteen  hundred 
guests,  had  been  demolished  by  shot  and  shell ;  a  portion  of 
the  walls  and  the  colossal  pillars  that  once  supported  'its 
portico  were  still  standing,  and  the  effect  of  the  stately  ruins, 
especially  by  moonlight,  was  fine. 

"Rowdy  Hall,"  totally  dismantled,  but  with  walls  and  rooms 
intact,  a  four-story  brick  edifice,  was  utilized  as  a  division 
hospital.  The  building,  as  its  name  implies,  was  formerly  a 
"holy  terror"  to  staid  old  matrons  and  demure  young  misses, 
when  it  was  the  favorite  resort  of  the  fast  blades  and  wild 
scions  of  Southern  aristocracy,  who  were  wont  to  reign 
supreme  within  its  walls,  making  night  hideous  and  waking 
the  echoes  with  their  bacchanalian  revels  and  batchelor 


208  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

pranks,  after  the  more  sedate  denizens  of  the  hotel  proper 
had  retired  to  their  quiet  quarters. 

The  grounds  adjoining  the  hotel  ruins  were  tastefully  laid 
out  and  abounded  in  stately,  magnificent  shade  trees,  beneath 
whose  branches  groups  of  soldiers  wearing  the  red  patch, 
reclined  with  all  the  abandon  of  Southern  planters,  and 
enjoyed  their  "otium  cum  dignitate,"  when  not  on  duty.  In  the 
centre  of  the  grounds  were  the  ruins  of  a  once  beautiful  foun 
tain ;  but  the  walls  of  its  cistern  were  cracked  and  crumbling; 
grass  and  rank  weeds  grew  in  its  basin,  and  its  jets  no  longer 
sparkled  in  the  summer  sun. 

An  octagonal  building,  fashioned  after  a  Greek  temple,  with 
its  white  pillars  and  crumbling  roof,  at  the  foot  of  the  main 
walk  covered  the  springs  proper,  and  thither,  during  our  sea 
son,  officers  and  enlisted  men  in  great  numbers  resorted  to 
drink  its  famed  medicinal  and  health-giving  waters.  Here, 
reclining  upon  the  seats  arranged  around  the  temple,  were 
wont  to  assemble  in  summer  days  gone  by,  stout  old  ladies, 
confirmed  invalids,  the  fat,  the  gouty,  the  consumptive, 
bright-eyed  belles  and  gallant  beaux,  senators  and  statesmen, 
politicians  and  planters,  governors  and  gossips,  bishops  and 
laymen,  to  discuss  the  weighty  affairs  of  church  and  state, 
politics,  fashion,  literature,  love  and  scandal ;  and  here  perhaps 
to  a  greater  extent  than  in  any  other  portion  of  the  South,  not 
even  excepting  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  were  conceived, 
concocted  and  perfected  the  infamous  schemes  of  traitors  to 
dissolve  the  Union,  during  the  seasons  of  1860  and  1861.  The 
seats  were  now  in  ruins,  the  walls  were  covered  with  mould, 
the  beautiful  statue  thrown  from  its  pedestal  and  so  defaced 
that  even  its  sculptor  would  fail  to  recognize  his  handiwork. 

Under  the  stately  trees  surrounding  the  ruins  the  head 
quarter  tents  of  Major  General  Birney  and  staff  were  pic 
turesquely  pitched. 

During  our  stay  here,  a  theater  was  improvished,  and 
"refined  vaudeville"  entertainments  given  by  Third  Corps 
talent,  that  would  reflect  credit  upon  many  of  the  stock  com 
panies  and  star  combinations  of  the  great  metropolis.  The 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  209 

front  of  one  of  the  cottages  in  the  hotel  yard,  with  its  pretty 
portico  an  vine-covered  trellises,  %  formed  an  appropriate 
background ;  foot  lights  were  extemporized  from  fruit  and 
vegetable  cans  illuminated  by  government  candles,  and  the 
entire  stage  and  scenic  accessories  reflected  great  credit  upon 
the  ingenuity  and  artistic  attainments  of  the  men  among 
whom  were  also  discovered  a  number  possessing  histrionic 
and  musical  talent  of  a  high  order. 

The  division  remained  in  its  pleasant  camp  at  Sulphur 
Springs  until  September  I5th,  performing  the  ordinary  duties 
of  soldiers  in  the  field,  and  enjoyed  the  pleasant  summer  sea 
son  of  1863,  bathing  in  the  pellucid  water  of  Hedgeman's 
River,  drinking  the  highly  impregnated  medicinal  waters  of 
the  Springs,  and  resting  after  the  lazy  manner  of  soldiers  in 
camp. 

The  waters  of  the  Springs  were  at  first  very  unpalatable, 
but  after  the  men  became  accustomed  to  the  taste,  they  rel 
ished  them  much  better  than  the  insipid  waters  procured  for. 
drinking  purposes  from  the  river  and  hastily  dug  wells  in 
camp. 

Old  Henry  Gardner,  of  Company  A,  took  a  mouthful,  spat 
it  out  and  said,  "Mine  Gott,  boys!  Don't  he  schmell  pad?" 
Polk  McCullough,  after  trying  to  drink  it,  said :  "It  was  too 
d —  -  botanical  for  him,  and  anyone  who  would  drink  such 
stuff  was  sure  to  die  of  the  black  tongue."  It  was  said  to  be 
very  healthful,  and  it  certainly  should  have  had  that  virtue 
at  least. 

On  the  I4th  of  August,  every  commissioned  officer  and 
enlisted  man  of  the  Old  Third  Corps — "The  Third  Corps,  as 
we  understand  it,"  comprising  the  divisions  formerly  com 
manded  by  Kearney  and  Hooker,  contributed  one  day's  pay 
to  the  purchase  of  a  carriage  for  the  gallant  Sickles,  who  lost 
a  leg  at  Gettysburg.  This  was  a  touching  testimonial  from 
the  men  who  had  witnessed  his  gallantry  on  the  blood-stained 
fields  of  Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg,  and  was  to  him  a 
most  pleasant  assurance  of  the  respect  and  esteem  with  which 


210  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

the  war-worn  heroes  of  the  decimated  division  regarded  their 
old  commander.  9 

On  the  23rd  of  August,  the  division  was  reviewed  by  Gen 
eral  Birney,  and  on  the  /th  of  September,  the  entire  corps 
passed  in  review  before  Major  General  Meade,  commander  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  a  large  number  of  distinguished 
guests. 

While  at  this  camp  we  received  quite  a  number  of  recruits, 
conscripts  and  substitutes.  Many  thought  that  the  govern 
ment  made  a  mistake  in  placing  the  new  men  among  the  old 
veterans,  instead  of  in  regiments  by  themselves,  as  the  original 
volunteers  looked  on  the  drafted  men  as  those  who  would  not 
enlist  to  fight  for  their  country,  but  waited  to  be  dragged  out. 
Of  the  substitutes  who  entered  the  service  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  big  bounties,  there  was  much  distrust  as  in  the  North 
at  this  time,  the  practice  of  "bounty  jumping"  had  almost 
reached  the  dignity  of  a  profession  among  the  criminal  classes. 

A  sharp  little  Dutchman  named  Billy  Bitner,  of  our  regi 
ment,  got  up  a  financial  scheme  by  making  a  kind  of  walking 
speakeasy  of  himself.  Many  of  the  conscripts  dearly  loved 
their  whiskey,  but  the  commissary  would  not  sell  any  to  the 
private  soldiers,  and  the  conscripts,  not  understanding  the  art 
of  securing  it,  sought  Billy  as  their  friend.  He  told  them  that 
it  was  very  hard  to  get  and  very  dear,  and  a  canteenful  would 
cost  them  two  dollars.  Those  that  had  money  and  a  severe 
thirst,  gave  him  the  cash  at  once.  Billy  would  write  an  order 
on  the  commissary,  signing  an  officer's  name,  and  take  it  to 
the  commissary  where  he  would  get  his  canteen  filled  for 
fifty  cents,  making  a  good  profit. 

On  the  I2th  of  September,  while  the  troops  were  on  brigade 
drill,  marching  orders  were  received  and  we  returned  to  camp, 
packed  up,  and  were  shortly  in  line  and  en  route. 

Rumors  had  been  rife  for  several  days  that  Lee  was  con 
templating  another  Northern  campaign,  with  a  view  to 
bolstering  up  the  fortunes  of  the  Confederacy,  capture  Balti 
more,  Washington,  Pittsburg  and  Philadelphia,  retrieve  the 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  211 

disasters  of  two  former  attempts,  and  it  was  even  thought  that 
he,  with  his  army  of  Northern  Virginia,  was  already  on  the 
move. 

Our  stay  at  this  place  had  been  long  and  pleasant,  yet  with 
some  regrets  at  leaving  the  picturesque  camp  and  routine  of 
light  duty,  the  prospect  of  another  campaign  was  hailed  with 
joy  by  many  of  the  soldiers,  already  tired  with  "stiff  parades, 
blank  and  empty  forms,  and  stately  courtesy." 

After  a  march  of  a  few  miles  we  bivouacked  for  the  night 
at  10  o'clock  p.  m.  near  Fox's  Mill. 


CHAPTER  XL 

(From  September  16,  1863,  to  December  3,  1863.) 


MARCH  TO  CULPEPPER— THE  THIRD  CORPS  UNION— CENTERVILLE  AND 
BRANDY  STATION — BATTLES  OF  AUBURN,  KELLY'S  FORD,  LOCUST 
GROVE  AND  MINE  RUN 


"Oh,  there's  not  a  trade  that's  going, 
Worth  showing, 
Or  knowing, 

Like  that  from  glory  growing, 
For  a  bold  sojer  'boy: 

Where  right  or  left  we  go, 

Sure  you  know, 

Friend  or  foe, 
Will  have  the  hand  or  toe 

From  a  bold  sojer  boy. 


There's  not  a  town  we  march  through 
But  the  ladies  looking  arch  through 
The  window  panes  will  search  through 
The  ranks  to  find  their  joy." 

\\7  HILE  the  old  soldiers  were  rejoiced  to  be  again  on  the 
march,  with  prospects  of  novelty  and  adventure  before 
them,  many  regretted  to  bid  adieu  to  the  pleasant  camps,  the 
lovely  groves  and  classic  environments  of  Sulphur  Springs. 

Once  more  our  ranks  were  comparatively  well  filled  by 
conscripts  and  substitutes ;  the  men,  as  a  rule,  were  in  the 
enjoyment  of  excellent  health  and  ready  for  a  vigorous  cam 
paign. 

It  was  amusing  to  observe  the  new  men  loading  themselves 
with  baggage  when  they  started.  We  had  done  the  same 
thing  at  first,  but  experience  had  taught  us  better.  Some  had 
their  knapsacks  filled  to  overflowing  with  stuff  and  a  lot  piled 
on  top,  but  a  few  hours  tramping  in  the  hot  sun  began  to  tell 
on  them,  and  they  would  unload  piecemeal,  throwing  away 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  213 

one  article  after  another  until  they  were  like  the  older  men, 
in  light  marching  order. 

We  forded  the  Rappahannock  on  the  i6th,  and  started  for 
Culpepper,  where  we  crossed  a  small  stream  at  some  mills 
about  dark,  and  halted  a  short  distance  from  the  town  of 
Culpepper. 

Early  next  morning  word  was  brought  that  the  enemy  was 
advancing  in  force  and  we  were  hurried  out  along  a  turnpike 
road,  where  the  brigade  was  formed  in  line  of  battle.  The 
boys  were  very  cheerful  and  appeared  anxious  for  a  brush 
with  their  old  friends,  the  enemy,  but  after  waiting  for  a 
long  time  we  learned  that  it  was  a  false  alarm  and  that  no 
enemy  was  in  the  neighborhood.  The  division  then  went  into 
camp  near  the  Sperryville  Turnpike,  and  remained  there  for 
a  couple  of  weeks,  engaged  in  picket  duty. 

Culpepper  is  an  old  place,  the  Shire  town  of  the  county  of 
the  same  name,  and  although  a  small  place,  was  a  hot  bed  of 
secession.  The  citizens  generally  hated  the  Union  soldier. 
The  boys  seldom  went  into  the  town,  as  the  officers  had  given 
strict  orders  against  it,  and  as  we  now  were  in  Mosby's  terri 
tory,  where  he  raised  most  of  his  guerilla  troops,  it  was  not 
safe  to  venture  far  from  camp. 

On  October  nth  it  was  reported  that  General  Lee  was  try 
ing  to  turn  our  right  flank,  and  get  in  our  rear,  as  he  had  done 
the  year  before.  This  made  a  retrograde  movement  necessary 
and  on  the  afternoon  of  that  day  we  moved  to  the  rear  and 
recrossed  the  river,  camping  about  dark  near  Sulphur  Springs. 
We  continued  our  move  to  the  rear,  and  about  4  o'clock  on 
the  1 3th,  encountered  the  rebel  cavalry  at  Auburn  Creek, 
having  a  lively  fight,  but  the  enemy  soon  fell  back  and  we 
moved  on,  halting  at  night  at  the  village  of  Greenwich,  con 
tinuing  on  to  Centerville,  "center  of  uncertainty,"  on  the 
1 4th. 

At  about  dusk  on  the  I5th  of  October,  we  learned  that  Gen 
eral  Sickles,  who  was  on  a  visit  to  the  army,  was  to  pass  our 
encampment.  The  old  soldiers  of  his  historic  corps,  who  had 
witnessed  his  bravery  and  gallant  conduct  on  many  a  hard 


214  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

fought  field  gathered  on  either  side  of  the  road,  to  welcome  the 
Hero  of  Gettysburg.  Cheer  upon  cheer  rent  the  air  as  his  car 
riage  passed,  showing  the  estimation  in  which  the  Kearney 
veterans  regarded  their  beloved  commander. 

The  officers  of  the  old  Third  Corps,  "The  Third  Corps  as 
we  understand  it,"  had  a  short  time  previously  organized  an 
association  known  as  the  ''Third  Corps  Union,"  for  the  pur 
pose  of  more  firmly  cementing  the  bonds  of  brotherhood  and 
ties  of  friendship  between  the  veterans  of  this  old  fighting 
Corps,  and  establishing  a  fund  for  the  benefit  of  deserving 
officers  wounded  or  disabled  in  the  service,  and  also  for  the 
benefit  of  widows  and  families  of  deceased  members.  The 
"Third  Corps  Union"  also  embalmed  and  sent  home  the  bodies 
of  its  members  killed  in  action.  A  beautiful  gold  badge, 
designed  by  Colonel,  afterwards  General  de  Trobriand,  and 
manufactured  by  Tiffany,  the  New  York  jeweler,  was  adopted. 
The  design  was  a  Maltese  cross,  in  the  center  of  which  a 
lozenge  or  diamond,  enameled  in  either  red,  white,  or  blue, 
to  designate  the  division  of  its  wearer,  was  encircled  by  a 
laurel  wreath  over  which  were  two  crossed  swords.  The 
motto  of  the  Third  Corps  Union  emblazoned  on  the  badge  was 
"Duke  Et  Decorum  Est  Pro  Patria  Mori." 

General  French,  now  commanding  the  corps,  and  his  divis 
ion,  never  having  participated  in  any  battle  or  engagement 
with  the  corps  were  excluded  from  membership,  which  greatly 
irritated  "Old  Blinky,"  and  called  forth  from  him  a  general 
order,  lauding  his  pets  in  language  uncalled  for  and  ungram- 
matical,  claiming  for  them  a  right  to  be  admitted  to  member 
ship  in  the  following  language: 

"The  General  now  commanding  the  Corps  of  Hooker,  Sickles,  Berry 
and  as  his  near  friend,  dares  to  raise  the  shroud  of  the  chivalric 
Kearney,  needs  nothing  further  to  convince  the  brave  and  intelligent 
soldiers  of  this  Corps  that  the  efforts  for  preference  over  the  reputa 
tion  of  brother  soldiers,  no  matter  what  State  or  what  Army  may 
claim  them,  when  they  have  proved  true  and  faithful  to  our  Union 
and  to  our  glorious  flag,  ought  and  must  be  admitted  to  the  position 
to  which  by  their  bravery  they  are  entitled  (!!!)" 

In   this   respect,   as   in   many   others,   did   the   "Old   Third 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  215 

Corps"  evince  the  esprit  de  corps,  which  has  ever  character 
ized  its  members  in  camp,  field,  and  in  the  walks  of  civil  life. 
This  was  the  first  association  formed  by  soldiers  of  the  civil 
war  for  mutual  benefit  and  self  protection,  antedating  by  many 
years  the  Army  and  Navy  Union,  the  Military  Order  of  the 
Loyal  Legion,  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  the  Union 
Veteran  Legion,  and  all  similar  organizations  of  veteran  sol 
diers. 

On  the  1 5th  of  October  we  moved  to  Fairfax  Station,  where 
we  remained  until  the  igth,  when  we  moved  to  Bristoe  Station 
and  encamped.  We  again  marched  through  Greenwich  on  the 
2Oth,  and  encamped  a  couple  of  miles  beyond  the  town.  On 
the  2 ist  we  passed  over  the  ground  where  General  Hays' 
Division  (our  old  Colonel),  had  a  hot  fight  with  the  enemy 
a  short  time  before. 

From  now  until  November  7th  we  were  moved  along  the 
Orange  and  Alexandria  Railroad,  which  had  been  destroyed 
by  the  enemy,  and  we  did  our  share  in  rebuilding  it.  The 
same  day  we  moved  to  Kelly's  Ford,  where  wre  had  a  brisk 
fight  with  the  rebs,  who  tried  to  prevent  us  from  crossing. 
It  was  in  this  fight  that  we  lost  Captain  Timothy  M.  Maynard. 
He  had  gone  out  as  first  lieutenant  of  Company  B,  afterwards 
being  promoted  to  captain,  and  later  made  brigade  inspector. 
During  this  fight  he  stooped  to  give  a  drink  to  a  wounded 
rebel  officer,  and  while  holding  his  canteen  to  the  lips  of  the 
dying  man,  was  shot  through  the  bowels,  dying  from  the 
effects  of  his  wound  next  day. 

We  moved  to  Brandy  Station  on  the  8th,  and  encamped  on 
the  farm  of  John  Miner  Botts,  where  we  remained  for  sev 
eral  weeks.  November  26th  we  crossed  the  Rapidan  at  Jacob's 
Ford,  and  the  following  day  hurried  to  relieve  the  Third  Divis 
ion  that  was  fighting  with  a  part  of  Ewell's  Corps.  At  Locust 
Grove  we  had  quite  a  lively  fight  with  the  Johnnies  and  lost 
several  men. 

The  Battle  of  Locust  Grove,  as  it  was  officially  known,  and 
in  which  hundreds  of  gallant  soldiers  were  killed  and  wounded, 
was  another  one  of  the  stupendous  blunders  of  the  war.  It 


21G  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

was  an  engagement  that  should  never  have  occurred.  It  was 
neither  planned  nor  anticipated  by  the  Commander-in-Chief. 
The  new  commander  of  the  Third  Corps  became,  from  some 
cause  or  other,  never  officially  investigated,  somewhat 
"obfusticated"  during  the  day  and  marched  his  men  on  an 
unfrequented  wood  road,  where,  in  a  dense  growth  of  locust 
and  other  forest  trees  and  underbrush,  the  column  unex 
pectedly  encountered  the  enemy  in  force  and  a  fierce  fight 
ensued,  to  the  astonishment  and  bewilderment  of  both  sides, 
neither  Meade  nor  Lee  expecting  an  engagement  at  this  point, 
most  unsuitable  in  every  respect  for  a  battle  ground.  It  was 
apparent  to  even  the  soldiers  in  the  ranks  that  "some  one  had 
blundered,"  and  not  much  difficulty  was  experienced  among 
the  veterans  in  fixing  the  responsibility.  During  the  night  the 
enemy  skedaddled,  evidently  as  much  surprised  as  were  our 
officers  and  men,  at  the  interruption  of  their  march. 

On  the  28th  we  marched  all  day  in  a  chilling  rain  and  came 
up  with  the  enemy,  who  held  a  strong  position  on  Mine  Run. 
The  next  day  we  laid  in  a  field  not  far  from  the  enemy  ;  the 
weather  had  grown  cold  and  stormy  and  we  were  not  allowed 
to  kindle  any  fires. 

The  enemy  was  strongly  entrenched  in  our  front  and  orders 
were  issued  to  the  skirmish  line  not  to  attempt  any  move 
which  would  inaugurate  a  general  engagement.  The  rebels, 
contrary  to  their  usual  custom,  swarmed  upon  the  ramparts 
of  their  seemingly  impregnable  works,  which  presented  a 
formidable  array  of  artillery  and  glistening  bayonets,  and 
thronged  the  field  between  their  rifle  pits  and  skirmish  line, 
performing  all  sorts  of  derisive  antics,  and  challenging  our 
men  to  "come  over  and  take  them."  The  night  was  intensely 
cold  and  the  clothing  of  the  men  had  become  thoroughly 
saturated  by  recent  rains  and  the  fording  of  numerous  creeks 
and  runs  during  the  march. 

At  3  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  29th,  after  making  coffee 
and  partaking  of  a  hastily  improvised  breakfast,  we  were 
moved  a  short  distance  to  the  front,  forming  in  line  of  battle 
in  full  view  of  the  enemy,  who  had  been  busily  engaged  dur- 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  217 

ing  the  preceding  day  and  night  in  strengthening  his  works 
and  planting  new  batteries.  Camp  fires  were  now  permitted, 
the  smoke  from  which  became  almost  intolerable.  Again,  on 
the  morning  of  the  3Oth,  we  were  aroused  at  3  o'clock  and 
preparations  were  made  for  an  assault  upon  the  enemy's 
strongly  fortified  position,  which  had  been  expected  for  the 
past  two  days. 

As  it  became  evident  that  no  general  engagement  would 
occur,  the  following  humorous  notice  was  circulated  through 
out  the  division  : 

"NOTICE  EXTRAORDINARY! 

The  mammoth  sensational  show  advertised  for  this  'day  and  date 
has  been  unavoidably  and  indefinitely  postponed  by  reason  of  mis 
calculation  on  the  part  of  the  managers. 

It  is  hoped  that  our  kind  and  indulgent  patrons  at  the  North, 
who  evince  such  a  deep  and  patriotic  interest  in  our  welfare  by 
wondering  'why  the  army  does  not  move  and  end  this  unholy  rebel 
lion,'  will  kindly  overlook  the  present  disappointment  and  rest 
assured  that  the  management  will  endeavor  to  prevent  any  similar 
occurrence  in  the  future. 

Due  notice  will  be  given  of  the  next  performance  through  the 
medium  of  the  great  newspapers  of  the  North,  in  order  that  all  may 
avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  be  present  and  participate 
in  the  grand  finale.  G.  G.  MEADE, 

R.  E.  LEE, 

Stage  Managers  and  Ring  Masters  of  the  Great  American  Show." 

During  the  day,  artillery  and  musketry  duels  were  inter- 
mitent,  and  no  attempt  was  made  by  either  army  to  advance 
or*  bring  on  an  engagement. 

The  weather  continued  extremely  cold  and  many  of  the 
soldiers  on  picket  the  previous  night  were  so  badly  frozen 
as  to  lose  limbs,  and  many  instances  were  reported  where  our 
soldiers  perished  from  cold  at  their  posts. 

One  historian  of  the  war,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Kearney 
division,  thus  describes  the  events  of  this  memorable  engage 
ment  : 

"An  assault  had  been  ordered  by  General  Meade  and  the  necessary 
dispositions  were  carefully  made.  General  Warren  on  the  extreme 


218  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

left  with  twenty-eight  thousand  men  under  his  command,  was  to  give 
the  signal  for  the  charge.  He  was  to  assault,  with  his  troops,  the 
enemy's  right,  and  the  attack  was  to  be  made  general  from  left  to 
right  on  the  Union  lines,  taking  cue  from  him. 

How  anxiously  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  watched  and  waited  for 
that  signal  from  Warren!  The  position  of  the  foe  was  carefully 
chosen  and  strongly  entrenched,  and  every  soldier  knew  and  realized 
that  it  was  a  fearful  task  to  charge  across  that  wide  plain  over  Mine 
Run  and  upon  the  fierce  array  of  bristling  bayonets  that  gleamed  and 
glittered  behind  the  strong  earthworks  of  the  wary  foe,  yet  every 
man  was  determined  to  do  his  duty  and  face  the  fiery  ordeal. 

General  Warren,  with  a  bravery  that  won  for  him  the  love  of  his 
old  soldiers,  and  every  man  in  the  Union  Army,  declared  that  he 
would  prefer  being  cashiered  by  court  martial  for  disobedience  of 
orders,  to  sacrificing  so  many  lives.  He  'dared,  on  this  occasion,  to 
disobey  the  commands  of  his  superior  officer  preferring,  if  necessary, 
to  incur  the  penalties  of  insubordination  to  the  self-consciousness  of 
being  a  wholesale  murderer.  All  honor  to  him!  General  Meade,  see 
ing  the  impracticability  of  a  general  assault,  wisely  abandoned  the 
project  which  would  have  cost  so  many  lives." 

The  artillery  firing  gradually  ceased  as  if  by  mutual  con 
sent,  but  the  sharpshooters  and  skirmishers  kept  up  an  inces 
sant  fire  during  the  day. 

On  the  morning  of  December  ist,  the  division  was  moved 
a  short  distance  to  the  rear  and  bivouacked  in  the  woods. 
Artillery  was  all  day  passing  to  the  rear  and  long  before  the 
orders  came  for  a  forced  march  during  the  night,  it  became 
evident  that  once  again  the  grand  old  Army  of  the  Potomac 
was  to  retreat.  Reminiscences  of  the  Peninsula,  Fredericks- 
burg  and  Chancellorsville  came  unbidden  to  the  boys  in  blue, 
but  everyone  seemed  disposed  to  make  the  best  of  an  unavoid 
able  "bad  fix." 

Early  in  the  evening,  leaving  our  camp  and  bivouac  fires 
burning  brightly,  we  moved  stealthily  and  cautiously  to  the 
rear.  Several  houses  and  outbuildings  along  the  line  of  march 
were  burned  to  furnish  amusement  for  the  "boys."  The  roads 
over  which  we  passed,  had  been  badly  cut  up  by  artillery  and 
wagon  trains,  but  providentally  they  had  become  frozen,  which 
rendered  our  retreat,  at  any  rate,  less  disagreeable  than  it 
might  have  been  wading  knee  deep  through  Virginia  mud. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  219 

At  7  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  2nd  of  December,  we 
recrossed  the  Rapidan,  having  marched  continuously  for 
twelve  hours  and  a  distance  of  more  than  twenty  miles  with 
out  a  halt.  Never  was  a  more  appropriate  selection  made  by 
the  brigade  band  as  we  filed  into  a  temporary  camp  than 
when  it  struck  up  the  familiar  air : 

"Ain't  We  Glad  to  Get  Out  of  the  Wilderness." 
We  marched  about  eight  miles  on  the  2nd,  and  at  6  p.  m. 
halted  for  rest  and  coffee,  resuming  our  march  at  midnight, 
and  on  the  morning  of  the  3rd  reached  our  old  camps,  which 
we  immediately  re-occupied.  Weary,  footsore,  almost  worn 
out  and  disheartened,  we  hailed  with  joy  the  prospect  of  a 
brief  rest  in  comfortable  quarters. 

Among  all  the  reports,  official  and  unofficial,  letters  from 
correspondents,  special  dispatches,  and  personal  communica 
tions  concerning  the  memorable  and  disastrous  Mine  Run 
campaign,  the  following  extract  from  Dunn  Brown's  letter 
seems  to  "cover  the  ground"  admirably: 

"December  3,  1863. 

"We  have  just  returned  from  our  little  excursion  over  the  Rapidan; 
and  as  one  might  expect  from  such  a  miserable,  barren,  wasted, 
desolate  and  God-forsaken  country  as  we  have  visited,  we  have 
returned  no  whit  richer  than  when  we  went  away.  Why,  we  find 
that  not  even  laurels  grow  there  at  this  season,  and  so  didn't  pluck 
one  as  far  as  I  can  learn.  We  just  dropped  over  unceremoniously  to 
call  upon  Lee,  and  found  him  making  so  much  fuss  to  receive  us, 
overdoing  the  thing  in  fact,  that  we  wouldn't  stop,  but  retired  in 
disgust.  We  don't  want  too  much  parade  made  on  our  account. 
When  we  found  that  he  was  cutting  down  all  the  trees  in  his  front 
yard  to  make  an  uncommonly  high  fence  and  even  digging  up  a  por 
tion  of  his  farm  into  mounds  and  ditches  and  such  like  ornamental 
works,  over  our  arrival,  we  wouldn't  countenance  the  thing  and  came 
away  before  putting  him  to  still  more  trouble." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

(From  December  3,  1863,  to  April  26,   1864.) 


CAMP  AT  BRANDY  STATION— THIRD  CORPS  BALL— GRANT  IN  COMMAND — 
REORGANIZATION  OF  ARMY— DISBANDMENT  OF  THIRD  CORPS— RE 
TURN  OF  GENERAL  HAYS— LETTER  OF  GENERAL  HAYS  TO  GOV 
ERNOR  CURTIN. 


"There  was  a  sound  of  revelry  by  night, 

And  Brandy  Station  had  assembled  then 
Her  beauty  and  her  chivalry,  and  bright 

The  lights  shone  o'er  fair  women  and  brave  men; 
A  thousand  hearts  beat  happily;   and  when 

Music  arose  with  its  voluptuous  swell, 
Soft  eyes  looked  love  to  eyes  which  spake  again, 

And  all  went  merry  as  a  marriage  bell." 

IP  XHAUSTED  by  the  marches  and  exposures  incidental  to 
the  brief,  tedious  and  inglorious  Mine  Run  campaign,  the 
troops  retired  early  on  the  night  of  December  3rd,  and  were  just 
comfortably  nestled  in  the  arms  of  Morpheus  when  the  bugle 
sounding  the  "general"  from  brigade  headquarters,  startled  us 
as  though  a  shell  had  suddenly  burst  in  our  midst.  We  speed 
ily  "turned  out,"  packed  up,  struck  tents,  loaded  the  wagons, 
and  fell  into  line.  The  cause  of  the  sudden  call  to  arms  was 
unknown  and  it  was  rumored  that  the  enemy  had  followed 
up  our  retreating  columns  and  was  about  to  attack  us  on  our 
own  ground.  At  midnight,  marching  orders  were  counter 
manded  and  the  weary  soldiers  returned  to  "roost"  and  slept 
soundly  until  daylight.  At  noon  the  following  day  another 
general  alarm  was  sounded  and  the  lines  again  formed,  but  at 
dusk,  orders  were  received  to  make  ourselves  "comfortable  for 
the  night." 

Appearances  now  indicated  that  the  army  would  remain 
for  a  time  at  this  place  and  the  soldiers  proceeded  to  stockade 
their  tents,  construct  chimneys,  and  make  preparations  for 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  221 

"winter  quarters."  Routine  camp  duties  were  resumed  and 
details  furnished  for  picket  and  fatigue  purposes,  building 
corduroy  roads  and  repairing  fences  for  John  Minor  Botts, 
upon  whose  plantation  we  were  encamped.  It  was  currently 
reported  and  generally  believed  that  Botts,  a  former  United 
States  Senator  from  Virginia,  was  "carrying  water  on  both 
shoulders,"  levying  tribute  from  both  armies,  professing 
loyalty  indiscriminately  to  the  Union  and  Confederate  gov 
ernments,  as  the  armies  of  each  occupied  alternately,  his 
grounds,  receiving  payment  from  both  governments  for  all 
damages  to  his  buildings,  fences  and  wood  lots  irrespective 
of  which  side  was  responsible  for  the  damage.  He  made  fre 
quent  complaints  to  brigade,  division  and  corps  commanders 
of  the  alleged  depredations  of  the  soldiers.  The  well-seasoned 
split  rails  of  the  old-fashioned  "stake-and-rider  snake  fences," 
which  in  ante-bellum  days  were  so  common  in  the  Old  Domin 
ion,  made  excellent  material  for  camp  fires,  and  miles  of  these 
fences  would  disappear  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  whenever 
troops  of  either  army  were  encamped  in  the  neighborhood. 
The  ire  of  Botts  was  temporarily  appeased  upon  one  occasion 
by  the  promise  of  one  of  our  generals  to  issue  an  order  per 
mitting  his  men  to  take  only  "the  top  rail."  It  was  not  until 
all  his  fences  had  disappeared,  that  the  indignant  planter 
realized  that  under  a  strict  interpretation  of  this  order  each 
rail  in  turn  became  a  "top"  one.  Being  forbidden  to  cut  down 
the  trees  on  Botts'  property,  wood  for  fuel  and  building  pur 
poses  became  very  scarce  and  many  of  the  men  were  obliged 
to  "tote"  it  on  their  shoulders  for  more  than  a  mile.  Accord- 
tngly,  in  January,  1864,  division  camp  was  moved  upon  prop 
erty  belonging  to  some  other  owner,  and  model  camps  were 
soon  constructed. 

On  the  1 2th  of  January,  orders  were  received  allowing  a 
limited  number  of  leaves  of  absence  to  officers  and  furloughs 
to  enlisted  men.  Many  ingenious  excuses  were  formulated 
to  secure  these  privileges  as  everybody  was  anxious  to  visit 
home  and  "God's  country"  once  more,  if  only  for  a  brief 
period. 


222  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

On  January  I3th,  a  reunion  of  the  commissioned  officers 
was  held  at  General  Birney's  headquarters,  after  which  occas 
ion  Mr.  Bullock,  of  Philadelphia,  presented  to  the  general  for 
the  soldiers  of  his  division,  seven  thousand  pairs  of  warm, 
woolen  mittens.  Colonel  White,  of  Philadelphia,  made  the 
presentation  speech  in  behalf  of  Mr.  Bullock,  and  General 
Birney  replied  in  behalf  of  the  officers  and  men  of  the  "Red 
Patch"  division  in  an  eloquent  speech  in  which,  after  thanking 
the  generous  donor,  he  claimed  the  privilege,  when  occasion 
required,  of  "handling  the  enemy  without  either  gloves  or 
mittens."  In  honor  of  the  patriotic  Philadelphian,  the  division 
camp  at  this  place  was  designated  in  general  orders  as  "Camp 
Bullock." 

Songs  and  speeches  followed  the  presentation  and  the  even 
ing  terminated  in  a  dance.  General  Birney  designated  Wed 
nesday  evening  of  each  week  as  his  "reception  evening"  and  a 
general  invitation  was  extended  to  the  field,  staff  and  line 
officers  of  the  division  to  attend. 

A  number  of  ladies  from  the  North  visited  the  army  while 
at  this  pleasant  camp.  On  the  evening  of  January  25th  the 
officers  of  the  Third  Corps  held  a  grand  ball  at  the  headquar 
ters  of  General  Carr,  commanding  the  Third  Division  of  the 
corps.  An  elegant  mansion,  formerly  occupied  by  one  of  the 
F.  F.  Vs.,  was  utilized  for  reception  and  dressing  rooms  and 
an  annex  for  ball-room,  36x96  feet  in  dimensions,  had  been 
constructed  from  logs  and  roofed  with  wagon  covers,  tent 
flies  and  tarpaulins.  The  interior  was  tastefully  and  artisti 
cally  decorated  with  evergreens,  flags,  bunting,  pennants  and 
streamers  of  the  national  colors,  brilliantly  illuminated  with 
locomotive  headlights,  lanterns  and  commissary  candles  in 
sconces  of  appropriate  designs.  Stacks  of  arms  were  among 
the  decorations  not  usually  found  in  ball  rooms,  and  the  tout 
ensemble  was  fine  as  the  gay  couples  moved  in  the  merry 
mazes  of  the  dance.  White-gloved  sentinels  in  full  uniform, 
with  fixed  bayonets,  were  stationed  at  the  doors  and 
approaches  to  the  mansion  and  ball  room. 

On  Wednesday,  February  24th,  the  division  was  reviewed 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  223 

by  Generals  French  and  Birney.  Several  ladies  graced  the 
occasion ;  the  weather  was  fine,  and  the  troops  in  excellent 
condition.  After  the  review  a  reception  was  held  at  division 
headquarters,  attended  by  nearly  all  the  field,  staff  and  line 
officers. 

During  our  stay  at  Camp  Bullock,  a  theatre  was  erected 
from  logs  and  confiscated  lumber,  near  division  headquarters, 
with  a  seating  capacity  for  eight  hundred  persons.  It  was 
roofed  with  wagon  covers  and  tarpaulins  and  boasted  a  stage 
of  good  proportions.  Some  amateur  talent  was  found  among 
the  soldiers,  and  a  number  of  well-known  professionals  were 
secured  from  Washington,  New  York  and  Philadelphia. 
Entertainments  were  given  every  evening. 

Over  a  foot  of  snow  fell  on  the  22nd  of  March,  and  the 
soldiers  engaged  in  mimic  warfare,  entering  into  the  sport  of 
snow-balling  with  the  zest  and  enthusiasm  of  children.  Sleighs 
and  "jumpers"  were  improvised  by  the  men  and  coasting  was 
indulged  in  wherever  there  was  even  a  slight  declivity.  Lieu 
tenant  General  Grant,  who  had  been  appointed  by  President 
Lincoln  commander-in-chief  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States, 
arrived  at  Culpepper  on  March  24th,  and  established  head 
quarters  at  that  place. 

A  reorganization  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  effected 
and  long  expected  and  long  dreaded,  (though  for  months  we 
had  hoped  against  hope)  the  order  was  received  disbanding 
the  grand  old  Third  Army  Corps.  The  divisions  formerly 
commanded  by  Kearney  and  Hooker  were  permitted  to  retain 
their  badges,  the  red  and  white  diamond,  while  constituting 
the  Third  Division  of  the  Second  Corps,  the  badge  of  which 
was  a  trefoil.  This  was  a  wise  concession  on  the  part  of  the 
officer  ordering  the  consolidation  as  when  the  rumor  that  the 
Third  Corps  was  to  lose  its  identity  as  such  was  circulated, 
the  men  of  this  division  vehemently  asserted  that  under  no 
consideration  would  they  wear  any  other  designating  badge 
than  the  red  diamond,  under  which  they  had  marched  to  vic 
tory  and  to  defeat,  and  fought  on  many  an  ensanguined  field. 
The  disappointment  at  the  dissolution  of  this,  the  oldest 


224 


UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 


corps  in  the  army,  showing  the  most  famous  record  for  gal 
lantry  in  the  field,  was  shared  alike  by  commissioned  officers 
and  enlisted  men.  To  emphasize  their  strong  feeling  on  this 
subject,  some  of  the  soldiers  of  one  regiment  in  the  division 
secured  some  pickets  from  a  "secesh"  fence,  which  they  placed 
around  an  enclosure  which  they  called  a  cemetery,  in  which 
they  erected  a  board  "head  stone"  upon  which  was  inscribed : 


SACRED 

to  the 
MEMORY  OF  THE  OLD 


CORPS 

Killed  by  General  Order  No. 
March,  1864. 


Actuated  by 
Personal   Malice,   Spite   and   Jealousy 


"HOW  SLEEP  THE  BRAVE." 


The  reorganization  of  the  army  was  effected  on  March 
25th,  1864,  and  the  First  Division  of  the  old  Third  Corps 
became  the  Third  Division  of  the  Second  Corps.  General 
Birney  retained  command  of  the  division,  and  the  following 
regiments  constituted  the  Second  Brigade  under  the  command 
of  Brigadier  General  Alexander  Hays : 

Fourth  Maine — Colonel  Walker. 

Seventeenth  Maine — Colonel  West. 

Third  Michigan — Colonel  Pierce. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  225 

Fifth  Michigan — Lieutenant  Colonel  Pulford. 
Sixty-third  Pennsylvania — Lieutenant  Colonel  Banks. 
Sixty-eighth  Pennsylvania — Lieutenant  Colonel  Winslow. 
Fifty-seventh  Pennsylvania — Colonel  Sides. 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Pennsylvania — Colonel  Craig. 
First  United  States  Sharpshooters — Major  Mattocks,  of  the  Seven 
teenth  Maine,  commanding  by  assignment. 

The  return  of  General  Hays  to  this  division  was  hailed 
with  joy,  not  only  by  the  members  of  his  old  regiment,  but 
by  the  soldiers  of  every  regiment  in  the  division,  who  had 
watched  with  pride  and  interest  the  glories  of  his  achieve 
ments  in  another  command  since  his  promotion  from  colonel 
of  the  Sixty-third. 

On  the  morning  of  March  2ist,  the  camps  of  the  division 
were  changed  to  conform  to  the  new  arrangements,  the  regi 
ments  moving  into  quarters  vacated  by  the  Third  Division  of 
the  Third  Corps  which  had  been  transferred  entire  to  the 
Sixth  Corps.  The  camp  was  situated  upon  low,  marshy 
ground  and  was  in  an  outrageously  filthy  and  unsanitary  con 
dition.  Our  first  orders  from  General  Hays  were  to  police 
the  camps  and  grounds  as  thoroughly  as  possible.  The  num 
ber  of  soldiers'  graves  in  the  vicinity  of  our  new  camp  was  a 
sad  commentary  on  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  troops  who 
had  lived  (and  died)  there  before  us. 

The  men  immediately  proceeded  to  police  and  drain  the 
grounds  as  best  they  might,  and  repair  the  "shebangs"  as 
neatly  and  comfortably  as  possible ;  and  we  thanked  our  lucky 
stars  that  the  season  was  rapidly  approaching  when  we  could 
exchange  the  filthy  and  miserable  log  shanties  for  a  life  in  the 
open  air. 

On  the  9th  of  April  orders  were  received  to  send  all  surplus 
and  extra  baggage  to  the  rear  and  for  all  women,  citizens  and 
sutlers,  to  leave  the  army  prior  to  the  i6th  instant. 

Wednesday,  the  I3th,  the  division  was  reviewed  on  the 
grounds  in  front  of  the  residence  of  John  Minor  Botts,  near 
Brandy  Station.  Major  Generals  Meade,  Hancock,  Humphreys 
and  Birney,  Brigadier  Generals  Gibbon,  Mott,  Carr,  Hays  and 
Ward,  with  several  foreign  officers  of  distinction,  were  the 


226  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

reviewing  officers.  The  troops  had  long  been  preparing  for 
the  inspection  and  review  at  which  it  was  expected  that  the 
new  Commander-in-Chief,  Lieutenant  General  Grant,  would 
be  present. 

Probably  a  finer  spectacle  wras  never  witnessed  on  any  field. 
Nearly  every  soldier  in  the  command  wore  white  gloves ;  the 
condition  of  uniforms,  arms  and  accoutrements  was  faultless, 
and  each  man  seemed  to  vie  with  his  comrade  in  personal 
appearance,  military  bearing  and  soldierly  deportment. 

The  foreign  officers  expressed  much  astonishment  at  such 
conditions  in  an  army  in  the  field  in  time  of  actual  war. 

On  Friday,  April  22nd,  the  entire  Second  Corps  passed  in 
review  before  Lieutenant  General  Grant.  The  starry  shoulder 
straps  wrere  out  in  goodly  numbers  from  all  parts  of  the  army, 
but  Grant  was  the  "observed  of  all  observers,"  this  being  the 
first  opportunity  that  the  veterans  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
had  of  seeing  their  new  commander. 

On  the  26th  of  April,  the  division  moved  out  of  winter 
quarters  and  encamped  in  an  open  field  near  Stevensburg,  in 
shelter  tents,  without  fire-places  or  chimneys, — a  precaution 
ary  sanitary  measure  to  acclimate  the  men  and  prepare  them 
for  active  campaigning  in  the  immediate  future. 

Indications  of  an  approaching  move  were  everywhere  appar 
ent  ;  but  no  one  could  guess  in  what  direction  it  was  to  be 
made.  Previously  it  had  been  customary  on  the  eve  of  a 
campaign  for  even  the  rank  and  file  of  the  army,  either  offi 
cially  or  unofficially,  to  know  the  nature  and  object  of  military 
movements  in  advance,  but  not  an  intimation  was  now  given 
of  the  probable  destination  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
Orders  were  received  that  during  the  coming  campaign  no 
bugle  calls  were  to  be  sounded  or  music  by  bands  or  drum 
corps  allowed,  without  special  permission  from  headquarters. 

Upon  returning  to  his  old  division  to  assume  command  of 
this  brigade,  General  Hays  addressed  a  letter  to  Governor 
Curtin,  of  Pennsylvania,  which  may  be  appropriately  incor 
porated  in  this  place  as  a  portion  of  the  story  of  the  gallant 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  227 

Sixty-third,  and  a  deserved  tribute  to  one  of  its  most  popular 

officers : 

Camp  Birney,  April  15,  1864. 
His  Excellency,  Hon.  A.  G.  Curtin,  Governor: 

It  is  long  since  I  have  obtruded  upon  you  anything  relating  to  my 
"Old  Pet,"  the  Sixty-third  Regiment. 

Nearly  eighteen  months  ago,  I  was  forced  to  leave  the  boys  upon 
the  bloody  and  disastrous  field  of  Bull  Run,  but  not  until  the  regi 
ment  with  its  comrade,  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth,  had  laid  nearly 
one-half  of  their  combined  numbers  upon  the  field,  exponents  of  the 
principles  which  they  have  always  expressed  from  the  commence 
ment  of  the  war. 

Engaged  since  then  in  the  exigencies  of  the  service,  I  have  gained 
some  credit  with  the  troops  of  other  states.  I  have  led  New  York, 
New  Jersey,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Delaware,  Connecticut  and  West  Virginia 
regiments  five  times  into  action  with  most  complete  success  and, 
thank  the  God  of  War,  once  upon  my  native  soil.  Your  National 
Mausoleum  covers  the  battlefield  of  the  3rd  of  July. 

The  stern  tyrant  "Military  Necessity,"  on  the  26th  of  March, 
disbanded  the  division  of  which  I  had  command  for  nearly  a  year. 
I  was  then  assigned  to  the  Second  Brigade,  Third  Division,  Second 
Corps,  commanded  by  General  Birney.  This  brought  me,  like  the 
culprit  sentenced  to  be  hung,  "To  the  place  from  whence  I  came." 
I  have  therefore  a  brigade  of  nine  regiments  in  my  command,  four 
of  which  are  Pennsylvanians, — the  Sixty-third,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth,  Fifty-seventh  and  Sixty-eighth.  The  others  are  from  Maine 
and  Michigan,  with  the  First  Regiment  United  States  Sharpshooters 
(Colonel  Berdan),  but  all  are  from  Kearney's  old  command  on  the 
Peninsula.  My  greetings  on  return  were  most  satisfactory,  and  I 
never  have  felt  so  proud  of  a  command.  It  is  acknowledged,  with 
its  five  thousand  (nearly),  to  be  unequaled  in  the  'army,  and  is 
expected  to  "crack  brush,"  between  this  and  Richmond. 

When  I  received  my  promotion,  I  selected  as  aid-de-camp,  Second 
Lieutenant  David  Shields,  of  Company  F,  Sixty-third  Pennsylvania. 
During  his  absence  from  the  regiment,  in  violation  cf  every  sense  of 
justice,  and  the  rule  which  you  know  I  established  in  the  Sixty- 
third,  to  give  promotion  by  seniority  to  commissioned  officers,  unless 
forfeited  by  demerit,  and  which  was  frequently  approved  by  your 
self,  the  rule  was  violated,  perhaps  on  the  principle  of  "out  of  sight, 
out  of  mind,"  and  when  a  vacancy  of  first  lieutenant  occurred,  Lieu 
tenant  Shields  was  overlooked  and  another  substituted  in  his  place, 
I  am  certain  by  fraudulent  representations  to  you.  There  is  now  a 
vacancy  for  captaincy  or  majority  in  the  regiment,  and  Lieutenant 
Shields  asks  promotion,  as  is  his  right.  He  has  never  forfeited  but, 
on  the  contrary,  has  fortified  his  claims. 


228  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

Lieutenant  Shields  has  been  with  the  regiment  as  a  private,  cor 
poral,  sergeant,  second  lieutenant  in  all  its  battles  except  Fredericks- 
burg  and  Chancellorsville,  and  since  with  me  at  Gettysburg,  Auburn, 
Bristoe,  Mine  Run  and  Morton's  Ford,  always  wearing  the  ensign  of 
the  Sixty-third. 

I  enclose  a  letter  from  Lieutenant  Colonel  Danks,  now  command 
ing  the  regiment,  which  is  an  acknowledgment  of  the  injustice  done 
Lieutenant  Shields. 

You  know  that  all  communications  from  me  regarding  the  regi 
ment  have  been  frank  and  sincere,  and  I  believe  you  will  now  receive 
this  in  the  same  spirit,  upon  my  assurance.  Lieutenant  Shields  is 
now  at  home  in  consequence  of  a  very  dangerous  wound  through 
his  left  breast  and  back,  received  in  our  engagement  with  the  rebels 
at  Morton's  Ford.  He  was  also  severely  wounded  in  the  foot. 

Although  he  is  quite  a  young  man,  I  know  no  equal  to  him  for 
cool  courage  (except  Charlie  Campbell,  and  he  does  not  know  the 
difference  between  minnie  balls  and  Brandreth's  pills).  In  addi 
tion,  Shields  has  exhibited  remarkable  determination  and  judgment 
exceeding  his  years. 

If  you  will,  as  I  know  you  are  disposed  to,  do  justice  to  one  of  the 
bravest,  best  and  most  devoted  of  young  Pennsylvanians.  I  think 
you  will  not  only  commission  him  as  captain,  but  as  I  would,  if  I  was 
governor  of  the  State,  make  him  major  in  the  present  vacancy.  By 
so  doing  you  will  not  only  serve  God  and  the  country,  but  gratify 
the  numerous  friends  who  are  yours  most  devotedly.  He  is  the 
son  of  Thomas  Shields,  of  Sewickley,  near  Pittsburgh;  the  grandson 
of  David  Shields,  and  the  great-grandson  of  Major  Daniel  Leet,  one 
of  the  first  pioneers  of  the  west.  Please  refer  to  the  Allegheny 
delegation  for  further  particulars. 

I  have  no  private  claims  to  prefer,  but  it  would  give  me  some 
satisfaction  to  have  your  endorsement  for  major  general  (before  I 
get  killed),  but  there  is  no  use  asking  that. 

Yours  sincerely, 

(Signed)      ALEX   HAYS, 

Brig.  Gen.  Vols. 

P.  S. — I  will  add  that  our  army  never  was  so  well  prepared,  or 
rather  will  be  when  we  move  to  meet  the  rebels.  We  have  faith  in 
Sam  Grant,  and  unwavering  devotion  to  the  Government,  through 
Abraham  Lincoln,  its  prophet.  A.  H. 

NOTE— General   Hays   was  killed   within    three   weeks   after   writing   the 
above. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

(From  May  8,  1864,  to  May  11,  1864.) 


BATTLE  OF  THE   WILDERNESS -DEATH   OF  GENERAL   HAYS — BATTLES 
OF  TODD'S  TAVERN  AND  Po  KIVER. 


"DULCE  ET  DECORUM  EST  PRO  PATRIA  MORI." 

(Motto  of  the  Third  Corps  Union) 

"The  prayers  of  fair  women,  like  legions  of  angels 
Watch  over  our  soldiers  by  day  and  by  night, 
And  the  King  of  all  Glory,  the  Chief  of  all  Armies, 
Shall  love  them  and  lead  them,  who  dare  to  do  right. 
As  each  column  sweeps  by 
Hear  their  heart's  battle  cry, — 
It  was  Warren's — "  'Tis  sweet  for  one's  country  to  die!" 

A  T  THE  time  of  his  return  from  the  division  of  the  Second 
Corps  which  he  had  previously  commanded,  and  assum 
ing  a  command  in  his  old  and  loved  division,  General  Hays  and 
staff  took  possession  of  the  commodious  headquarters  which 
had  been  erected  for  and  occupied  by  one  of  the  Sixth  Corps 
brigade  commanders.  These  consisted  of  five  large  log  cabins 
with  canvas  roofs,  built  in  a  semi-circle,  occupied  as  living 
quarters  by  the  general  and  members  of  his  staff,  with  a  num 
ber  of  stockaded  wall  tents  utilized  for  offices  in  the  rear. 
Over  the  general's  tent  floated  a  large  penant  upon  which  was 
inscribed  the  words, 

"GOD  AND  MY  COUNTRY." 

The  officers  of  his  personal  staff  at  this  time  were : 
George  P.  Corts,  Captain  and  Assistant  Adjutant  General. 
David  Shields,  Lieutenant  Aid  de  Camp. 
•Ichn  S.  Sullivan,  Lieutenant  and  Acting  Aid  de  Camp. 

-  Wythe,  Lieutenant  and  Acting  Aid  de  Camp. 
Homer  L.  Thayer,  Lieutenant  and  Acting  Aid  de  Camp. 
Seth  C.  Hunkins,  Major,  Surgeon-in-Chief. 
Edwin  B.  Houghton,  Captain,  Acting  Assistant  Inspector  General. 

— -  Tomlinson,  Captain,  Commissary  of  Subsistence. 
Stevenson,  Lieutenant,  Ambulance  Officer. 


230  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

Under  the  reorganization  of  the  army,  the  offices  of  "inspec 
tor  generals"  of  division  and  brigade  were  changed  in  name 
only,  to  division  and  brigade  "inspectors,"  and  a  general  shuffle 
and  new  deal  was  made  in  this  corps.  For  what  reason  such 
changes  were  made  on  the  eve  of  an  approaching  campaign 
was  not  apparent,  and  General  Hays  was  very  indignant. 
Captain  Houghton,  who  had  long  filled  the  position  of  A.  A. 
I.  G.,  was  assigned  to  the  First  Brigade  of  the  division  com 
manded  by  General  J.  H.  Hobart  Ward,  and  Captain  Darling, 
of  the  Fifty-seventh  Pennsylvania,  was  detailed  in  his  place. 
With  this  one  change  in  its  personelle,  the  general's  staff  at 
the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  were 
those  enumerated  above. 

Just  before  midnight  on  Tuesday,  May  3,  1864,  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  noiselessly  broke  camp,  and  the  troops  compos 
ing  its  different  corps,  commenced  their  march  on  what  has 
become  known  in  history  as  the  Wilderness  campaign. 

At  sunset  on  that  memorable  day,  the  officers  of  the  Signal 
Corps  of  the  Confederate  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  beheld 
from  their  station  on  Clark's  Mountain,  the  tents  and  quar 
ters  of  the  Union  Army  of  the  Potomac,  with  wagon  parks 
and  batteries  undisturbed  and  tranquil  as  though  no  move 
ment  was  anticipated.  On  Wednesday,  May  4th, 

the  sun 
Of  morn  looked  down  and  saw  not  one." 

During  the  quiet  hours  of  a  night  as  dark  as  Erebus,  the 
Yankee  Army  had  "folded  its  tents  like  the  Arabs,  and  as 
silently  stole  away."  No  unusual  camp  fires  were  kindled,  no 
sound  of  bugle,  fife  or  drum  was  heard,  yet  in  an  almost 
incredibly  short  period,  the  entire  army  with  its  immense 
trains  of  ambulances,  ammunition,  supply  and  baggage 
wagons  and  artillery  was  on  the  move. 

So  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  to  us  came  the  orders,  that 
there  was  no  possibility  of  the  enemy  receiving  intelligence  of 
the  contemplated  movement,  before  from  his  picket  lines  and 
signal  stations  in  the  morning  he  beheld  the  deserted  camps 
of  the  Union  forces  around  Stevensburg,  Brandy  Station  and 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  231 

Culpepper  Court  House.  Every  corps,  division,  brigade  and 
regiment  had  its  appointed  position  and  moved  punctually 
and  quickly  at  the  designated  hour. 

Shortly  after  daybreak  on  May  4th,  the  division,  now  a 
portion  of  the  Second  Corps,  crossed  the  Rapidan  upon  a 
pontoon  bridge  at  Ely's  Ford,  without  meeting  any  resistance 
from  the  enemy.  Halting  a  half  hour  for  breakfast  and  coffee, 
the  march  was  resumed  along  the  plank  road,  and  early  in  the 
afternoon  a  halt  was  made  on  the  Chancellorsville  battlefield, 
on  the  very  ground  occupied  by  our  division  during  the 
eventful  engagement  of  Sunday,  May  3rd,  just  one  year  before. 
The  battlefield  still  showed  signs  of  the  memorable  conflict. 
Skeletons  and  skulls  of  men  and  horses,  fragments  of  shell  and 
cannon  balls  with  all  the  incidental  debris  of  a  fiercely  con 
tested  battle,  were  thickly  strewn  upon  the  ground.  Many  of 
the  bodies  of  brave  Union  and  Confederate  soldiers  lay  where 
they  fighting  fell,  with  knapsacks,  clothing  and  accoutrements 
clinging  to  their  skeleton  forms.  Some  were  recognized  and 
identified  by  their  former  comrades,  others  afforded  no  clue  to 
their  identity.  Every  foot  of  that  historic  battlefield  seemed  to 
possess  peculiar  interest  to  those  who  had  participated  in  the 
sanguinary  contest  of  one  year  before  and  suggested  many  a 
sad  incident  of  the  disastrous  contest,  as  groups  of  soldiers 
gathered  about  some  familiar  landmark  to  discuss  the  battle 
and  relate  pathetic  experiences  of  that  terrible  day.  Here  a 
soldier  tells  his  comrade  how  and  where  he  received  a  wound ; 
here  fell  a  tent-mate ;  there  we  made  a  charge ;  others  re-visit 
the  narrow  road  through  which  we  made  the  midnight  assault 
which  resulted  in  the  death  of  the  famous  rebel  general,  Stone 
wall  Jackson.  Not  far  from  our  bivouac  fell,  mortally 
wounded,  Maine's  noble  son  and  hero,  General  Hiram  G. 
Berry. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  we  marched  at  5  o'clock,  passing 
the  "Furnaces,"  memorable  as  the  scene  of  our  engagement 
one  year  before,  when  the  Third  Corps  was  cut  off  from  the 
army  by  the  breaking  of  the  Eleventh  Corps. 

On  arriving  at  Todd's  Tavern  on  the  Plank  Road,  lines  of 


232  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

battle  were  formed,  skirmishers  sent  forward,  and  such  infor 
mation  received  on  developing  the  enemy's  line,  as  decided  the 
commanding  general  to  change  the  direction  of  our  march, 
and  with  the  brigade  we  inarched  by  the  left  flank  to  near  the 
junction  of  the  Plank  and  Brock  Roads,  where  the  next  line  of 
battle  was  formed. 

General  Hays  was  directed  with  the  brigade,  to  take  a  posi 
tion  on  the  extreme  right  of  the  Second  Corps,  connecting 
with  the  Sixth  Corps  on  its  left. 

After  repeated  attempts  to  locate  the  line  with  which  con 
nection  was  to  be  made,  had  proved  futile,  the  brigade  was 
advanced  to  meet  the  enemy  through  the  deep  woods  and 
undergrowth  of  the  appropriately  named  "Wilderness/'  Our 
line  was  very  close  to  that  of  the  enemy,  although  the  under 
brush  between  made  it  almost  impossible  to  see  them,  so  that 
taking  deliberate  aim  was  out  of  the  question.  A  fierce  fusi- 
lade  was  maintained  by  both  armies  during  the  afternoon,  and 
a  number  of  prisoners  were  taken  by  the  division.  The  enemy 
sullenly  fell  back  before  our  persistent  fire  as  we  advanced, 
leaving  their  dead  and  wounded  in  our  lines. 

Night  coming  on  and  the  supply  of  ammunition  failing,  no 
further  advance  was  made,  but  the  position  was  held  till  fresh 
troops  came  to  our  relief,  and  the  brigade  fell  back  to  the  line 
originally  established  on  the  Brock  Road. 

It  was  early  in  the  engagement  that  our  beloved  brigade 
commander  and  first  colonel,  Brigadier  General  Alexander 
Hays,  the  pride  of  the  Sixty-third,  and  in  fact  of  the  whole 
army,  was  killed  in  front  of  his  command,  and  strangely 
enough,  among  the  soldiers  of  his  original  regiment.  He, 
accompanied  by  his  staff,  rode  down  along  the  line  of  battle 
and  when  he  came  to  the  Sixty-third,  stopped,  as  he  always 
did,  to  speak  a  few  words  of  cheer  and  encouragement  to  his 
old  boys,  when  a  bullet  struck  him  in  the  head  and  he  fell 
from  his  horse,  dying  in  about  three  hours.  General  Hays 
was  killed  just  where  he  had  said  he  wanted  to  die  should  he 
be  killed  during  the  war,  "at  the  head  of  the  Sixty-third 
Regiment.1'  He  was  a  man  greatly  beloved  by  all  members  of 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  233 

his  old  regiment,  both  for  his  bravery  and  his  marked  kind 
ness  to  his  men.  Stern  and  impetuous,  he  diffused  his  energy 
to  his  men,  and  it  was  a  loss  that  was  greatly  deplored  by  his 
soldiers  and  a  great  loss  to  the  army. 

"Well,  let  him  sleep,  the  lion-hearted; 

Sleep  in  a  nation's  honored  grave, 
His  name  was  traced  ere  he  departed 

Amid  the  records  of  the  brave; 
And  if  we  grieve  to  tell  the  story, 

'Tis  for  ourselves  we  breathe  the  sigh, 
Not  for  the  soldier,  crowned  with  glory, 

Who  died  as  heroes  love  to  die." 

Abbott's  "History  of  the  Civil  War"  thus  refers  to  the 
events  preceding  the  lamented  death  of  our  gallant  chief: 

"General  Alexander  Hays,  who  with  General  Birney  was  bearing 
the  brunt  of  this  tremendous  onset,  sent  back  an  imploring  cry  for 
reinforcements.  Hancock  replied:  'I  will  send  him  a  brigade  in 
twenty  minutes.  Tell  him  to  hold  his  ground.  He  can  do  it;  I 
know  him  to  be  a  powerful  man.'  And  he  did  hold  the  ground;  but 
alas!  it  was  his  last  battle,  for  soon  after,  when  he  had  paused  for 
an  instant  in  front  of  the  Sixty-third — his  own  regiment — a  rebel 
ball  struck  him  in  the  head,  and  in  a  few  hours  death  claimed  for 
his  prey  the  gallant,  dashing  Alexander  Hays,  and  'hero-like  he 
died.'  " 

The  death  of  General  Hays  is  thus  described  by  General 
Walker,  in  his  History  of  the  Second  Army  Corps  : 

"The  losses  had  been  heavy.  Among  the  killed  of  that  afternoon 
was  General  Alexander  Hays.  At  Gettysburg,  at  Bristoe,  at  Mine 
Run,  at  Morton's  Pord,  this  devoted  officer  rode,  with  his  staff  and 
flag  behind  him,  the  mark  of  a  thousand  riflemen,  the  admiration 
of  two  armies,  only  to  fall  in  a  tangled  wilderness  where  scarce  a 
regiment  could  note  his  person,  and  derive  inspiration  from  his 
courage  and  martial  enthusiasm.  All  the  peculiar  advantages  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  were  sacrificed  in  this  jungle-fighting  into 
which  they  were  called  to  engage.  Of  what  use  here  was  the 
tactical  skill  and  perfection  of  form;  of  what  use  here  the  example 
and  the  personal  influence  of  a  Hays  or  a  Hancock?" 

Night  at  length  closed  the  scene.  Friday  morning  the  6th, 
Birney 's  division,  again  took  the  initiative  and  charged  the 
rebel  lines,  the  Sixty-third  and  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Penn 
sylvania  on  the  left  of  the  division  front.  Owing  to  the  nature 


234  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

of  the  ground,  level  and  covered  with  a  dense  forest  growth, 
artillery  was  used  very  little.  The  woods  were  almost  impass 
able  even  for  individuals,  and  it  was  impossible  to  see  the 
entire  length  of  a  regimental  line.  We,  however,  succeeded 
in  driving  the  enemy  as  far  as  the  Plank  Road  and  capturing 
many  prisoners.  Here  the  advance  was  temporarily  checked. 
At  4  p.  m.  the  enemy  renewed  the  attack  but  was  repulsed 
with  severe  loss.  During  our  advance  in  the  morning  we  suc 
ceeded  in  driving  the  enemy  about  one  mile,  capturing  several 
hastily  thrown-up  earthworks  and  lines  of  defense.  Owing  to 
the  density  of  the  undergrowth  and  saplings,  our  lines  had 
become  more  or  less  thrown  into  confusion,  and  after  repeated 
struggles  our  division  was  forced  to  retire  to  the  works  we  had 
hastily  thrown  up  along  the  Brock  Road.  General  Hancock 
had  made  the  requisite  disposition  of  his  troops  and  orders  had 
been  issued  for  the  Second  Corps  to  assault  the  enemy's  works 
at  6  o'clock  p.  m.,  but  he  was  anticipated  by  General  Long- 
street  of  the  Confederate  Army  at  about  4  o'clock,  when  his 
command  made  one  of  the  fiercest  chargest  of  the  war.  Line 
upon  line  was  hurled  successively  at  us,  with  a  fury  that 
attested  the  desperate  nature  of  the  undertaking,  and  they 
were  as  repeatedly  repulsed.  The  enemy  had  not  expected  to 
find  us  entrenched  at  this  point  and  his  loss  in  the  assault  was 
terrible.  Hundreds  of  rebels  were  shot  down  within  a  yard  of 
our  breastworks  and  others,  after  they  had  gained  a  footing  on 
the  parapet,  fell  dead  among  our  men.  Some  even,  as  at 
Gettysburg,  were  received  on  the  point  of  the  bayonet  as  they 
attempted  to  climb  upon  the  works. 

On  the  left,  a  portion  of  the  wrorks  constructed  of  rails  and 
logs,  occupied  by  General  Mott's  Fourth  Division,  took  fire ; 
the  flames  and  smoke  rendering  them  untenable,  the  troops 
occupying  them  retired  to  the  second  line.  A  portion  of  our 
division  seeing  this  and  ignorant  of  the  cause,  feared  that  the 
enemy  was  flanking  us  and  for  a  moment  a  portion  of  our  line 
wavered  in  hesitancy  and  doubt ;  a  few  men  fell  back  in  dis 
order,  but  most  of  the  troops  nobly  held  the  position ;  the  day 
was  saved,  and  what  seemed  at  one  time  almost  a  rout,  proved 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  235 

a  glorious  and  decisive  victory.  Although  the  enemy  fought 
with  stubbornness  and  desperation  rarely  equalled,  the  old 
Kearney  division  stood  firm  and  hurled  back  the  assaulting 
columns  with  fearful  loss  of  life.  The  large  number  of  dead 
and  wounded  on  our  immediate  front  attested  the  valor  and 
discipline  of  the  foe. 

A  correspondent  writing  on  the  battlefield,  said : 

"There  is  something  horrible,  yet  fascinating,  in  the  mystery 
shrouding  the  strangest  of  battles  ever  fought, — a  battle  which  no 
man  could  see,  and  whose  progress  could  only  be  followed  by  the 
ear.  It  is  beyond  a  doubt  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  war,  that 
two  great  armies  have  met,  each  with  at  least  two  hundred  and 
fifty  pieces  of  artillery,  and  yet  placed  in  such  circumstances  as 
to  make  this  vast  enginery  totally  useless.  The  combat  lasted  three 
days;  but  it  might  have  been  prolonged  a  fortnight  longer  and  still 
left  the  issue  undecided." 

The  losses  of  the  Sixty-third  on  the  5th  and  6th  of  May  were 
terrible,  and  much  greater  than  at  the  Battle  of  Fair  Oaks. 
Major  McCullough  was  killed ;  eight  officers  severely  wounded, 
with  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  enlisted  men  killed  or 
wounded,  out  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  reported  in 
action,  a  casuality  list  of  fifty-six  per  cent. 

After  the  repulse,  a  portion  of  the  division  made  a  recon- 
noisance  in  our  front  and  secured  some  three  thousand  stands 
of  arms  which  had  been  collected  on  the  battlefield  by  the 
enemy  and  abandoned  in  their  hasty  retreat.  After  dark  the 
enemy  made  another  vigorous  attack  on  our  lines  and  was 
again  handsomely  repulsed.  Orders  were  received  to  follow 
the  Sixth  Corps  as  soon  as  they  cleared  the  road,  and  the  men 
were  kept  on  the  "qui  vive"  all  night,  expecting  every  moment 
the  orders  to  move.  The  progress  of  the  Sixth  Corps  was  very 
slow  and  it  was  not  until  sunrise  of  Sunday,  May  8th,  that  we 
were  fairly  on  our  way.  After  marching  some  six  miles  we 
formed  lines  of  battle  and  threw  up  strong  lines  of  entrench 
ments  near  Todd's  tavern.  During  the  day  there  was  severe 
musketry  firing  on  our  right  and  left,  but  on  our  immediate 
front  there  was  no  serious  engagement,  although  the  skirmish 
ers  were  active  and  we  were  subjected  to  severe  shelling  from 
the  enemy's  guns. 


236  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

General  Hancock  notified  his  division  and  brigade  com 
manders  that  an  attack  at  sunset  was  anticipated  on  our  front 
and  the  men  worked  industriously  at  strengthening  the  rifle- 
pits,  which  long  before  dark  were  sufficiently  formidable  to 
enable  us  to  successfully  repel  an  assault  even  though  made  by 
a  much  superior  force.  The  anticipated  assault  was,  however, 
not  made,  and  we  bivouacked  for  the  night  behind  our 
entrenchments.  Our  losses  during  the  day  were  comparatively 
light,  although  a  portion  of  our  corps  met  with  sufficient  resist 
ance  as  to  dignify  the  engagement  in  official  reports  as  the 
Battle  of  Todd's  Tavern. 

To  the  great  delight  of  the  weary  and  almost  exhausted 
soldiers,  an  order  from  General  Meade  was  promulgated  on 
May  9th,  announcing  that  the  army  would  rest  that  day  from 
offensive  operations ;  but  at  I  o'clock  p.  m.,  it  having  been 
ascertained  that  the  enemy  had  retired  from  our  front,  we 
were  at  once  ordered  in  pursuit.  Accordingly  we  marched  to 
the  left,  via  the  Spottsylvania  road,  until  4  p.  m.,  when,  from 
the  banks  of  the  River  Po,  we  discerned  troops  and  trains  of 
the  enemy  moving  southward  on  a  road  across  the  stream. 
General  Birney  immediately  ordered  two  batteries  into  posi 
tion  upon  an  adjacent  commanding  eminence,  and  while  we 
formed  in  line  of  battle  parallel  with  the  river,  sent  a  recon- 
noitering  force  across  while  our  batteries  shelled  them  vigor- 
ously.  Finding  only  a  small  force  on  the  opposite  bank,  which 
had  been  left  as  a  rear  guard,  we  forded  the  Po  and  bivou 
acked,  after  a  march  of  about  eight  miles,  between  the  Rivers 
Po  and  Ny,  where  a  picket  line  was  established  in  our  front. 
Near  this  point  the  four  small  streams  known  respectively  as 
the  rivers  Mat,  Ta,  Po  and  Ny  unite,  forming  the  Mattapony 
River.  On  the  loth  of  May  our  picket  line  was  vigorously 
attacked  by  the  enemy  and  driven  in  with  slight  losses  in  other 
regiments  of  the  brigade,  but  the  Sixty-third  was  not  actively 
engaged.  Ward's  brigade  of  this  division  was  moved  to  the 
river  banks  in  the  afternoon  to  cover  the  crossing  of  Barlow's 
division,  which  was  successfully  effected.  Ward's  brigade 
subsequently  made  a  charge  on  the  enemy's  works,  which  they 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  237 

gained  and  even  planted  their  colors  upon  the  ramparts,  but 
not  being  properly  supported,  and  subjected  to  a  terrific 
enfilading  fire,  they  were  compelled  to  retire  with  severe  losses, 
leaving  many  of  their  dead  and  wounded  in  the  hands  of  the 
enemy. 

Heavy  cannonading  and  musketry  fire  on  our  right  during 
the  entire  day  of  Wednesday,  May  nth,  proclaimed  the  fact 
that  other  portions  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  were  actively 
engaged,  but  our  losses  were  solely  from  stray  and  chance 
shots  from  the  sharpshooters  and  artillery  of  the  Confederates. 

On  May  nth,  while  en  route  from  the  Wilderness  to  Spott- 
sylvania,  the  Sixty-third  and  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  com 
bined,  the  fragment  of  the  two  regiments,  under  Major  Levi 
Bird  Duff,  being  reduced  to  five  companies  and  consolidated 
for  field  service. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

(From  May  11,  1864  to  June  1,  1864.) 


THE  BATTLE  OF  RPOTTSYLVANIA  AT  THE  DEATH  ANGLE— BATTLE  OF 
FREDERICKSBURG  PIKE -CAPTURE  OF  CONFEDERATE  SOLDIERS- 
CHARGE  AT  TAYLOR'S  BRIDGE  ON  THE  NORTH  ANNA. 


"I  will  fight  it  out  on  this  line  if  it  takes  all  summer." 

GENERAL  U.  S.   GRANT. 

"God  of  our  Fathers!  in  thy  name 

We  nail  our  Standard  to  the  mast — 
To  conquer  or  to  die, — we  claim 

No  greater  honor, — while  the  blast 
Of  civil  strife  sweeps  o'er  the  land 

We'll  strike  the  foe  who  dares  to  mar 
Our  lovely  ensign,  and  we'll  stand 

A  wall  of  fire  to  guard  each  star." 

A   FTER  the  death  of  General  Hays,  Colonel  Crocker,  of  the 
Ninety-third  New  York,  by  virtue  of  seniority  of  rank, 
assumed  temporary  command  of  the  Second  Brigade. 

During  the  night  of  May  nth,  a  terrific  tempest,  accom 
panied  by  thunder,  lightning,  and  severe  rain,  swept  over  the 
contending  forces  as  they  lay  confronting  each  other  behind 
the  strong  intrenchments.  Taking  advantage  of  the  darkness 
and  storm,  General  Hancock  quietly  withdrew  his  division 
from  the  works,  and  leaving  our  camp  fires  burning  brightly, 
we  cautiously  fell  to  the  rear.  In  a  drenching  rain  and  heavy 
mist,  through  muddy  fields  intersected  by  deep  ditches  and 
ravines,  through  tangled  underbrush,  we  marched  noiselessly 
to  the  left,  passing  in  the  rear  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  and  at  I 
a.  m.  of  May  I2th  the  two  brigades  of  Birney's  division,  com 
manded  by  Ward  and  Crocker,  were  formed  each  in  double 
lines  of  battle  without  a  loud  word  spoken  or  command  given 
above  a  whisper.  Here  we  were  ordered  to  rest  until  morning 
without  camp  fires  or  noise. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  239 

Ere  the  first  faint  beams  of  the  rising  sun  illumined  the 
eastern  sky,  in  the  dim  uncertain  light  of  an  early  dawn,  the 
lines  were  silently  formed,  bayonets  fixed  and  commands  given 
to  advance  without  a  shout  until  the  works  of  the  enemy  were 
reached.  The  brigades  moved  forward  preserving  their  align 
ments  as  well  as  the  nature  of  the  ground  permitted,  through 
tangled  underbrush,  slashings,  and  felled  timber,  across 
ditches,  swamps  and  morasses,  in  places  nearly  waist  deep 
with  mud  and  water.  At  the  edge  of  the  woods  in  our  immedi 
ate  front,  wre  encountered  a  rifle  pit  occupied  by  the  enemy's 
pickets,  approaching  which,  our  men,  supposing  it  to  be  the 
main  line  of  the  Confederates,  charged  with  shouts  and  cheers 
that  might  well  have  struck  terror  to  the  hearts  of  the  foe. 
Firing  scarcely  a  shot,  the  rebel  skirmishers  fled  in  terror, 
abandoning  the  line  which  we  immediately  occupied,  only  to 
discover  about  two  hundred  yards  in  front,  most  formidable 
works,  protected  by  ditches,  abattis,  and  cheveaux  de  frize, 
through  which  had  been  ingeniously  woven  long  stretches  of 
telegraph  wire.  It  was  now  too  late  to  hesitate.  The  enemy 
had,  however,  been  apprised  of  our  coming  by  the  shouts  and 
cheers  of  our  men  when  they  reached  the  rifle  pits,  and  poured 
into  our  ranks  volley  after  volley  of  musketry,  solid  shot, 
canister  and  shells.  The  Union  troops,  undaunted  still,  pushed 
forward  and  crossing  the  deep  ditches,  clambered  up  the  steep 
sides  of  the  embankment  by  the  aid  of  their  bayonets  or 
whatever  was  available  for  scaling  purposes  and  planted  the 
regimental  colors  on  the  ramparts. 

The  enemy,  hastily  aroused  by  the  clamor,  panic  stricken 
and  bewildered,  threw  down  their  arms  and  surrendered  by 
regiments.  They  abandoned  their  cannon,  which  fell  into  our 
hands  to  the  number  of  more  than  forty,  with  limbers,  cais 
sons,  horses  and  ammunition.  Many  of  our  infantrymen,  who 
had  been  drilled  in  heavy  and  light  artillery  practice  during 
their  occupancy  of  forts  in  the  defenses  of  Washington,  turned 
their  own  guns  upon  the  enemy,  in  which  capacity  they 
rendered  effective  service.  Major  General  Edward  Johnson 
and  Brigadier  General  Stuart,  of  the  Confederate  army,  and 


240  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

many  field,  staff  and  line  officers  were  captured  at  this  point. 
The  number  of  prisoners  who  actually  surrendered  to  our 
division  that  morning  is  estimated  at  twelve  or  fifteen  thous 
and,  but  as  they  were  permitted  to  pass  to  the  rear  unguarded, 
many  availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity  afforded  by  a  strip 
of  w^oods  on  our  left,  to  pass  around  our  flank  and  re-enter 
their  own  lines  again. 

The  scene  in  the  works  was  of  a  most  intensely  exciting 
nature  and  beggars  description.  Our  lines  had  become  some 
what  broken  during  the  charge  and  while  scaling  the  earth 
works;  and  squads  and  individuals  "went  in"  on  their  own 
responsibility,  regardless  of  regiments  or  brigades.  Wherever 
a  stand  of  Union  colors  was  seen,  the  men  would  gather  and 
make  a  grand  rush  for  a  piece  of  rebel  artillery  or  body  of 
prisoners.  At  this  point  Corporal  John  Kendig,  of  the  Sixty- 
third,  captured  the  flag  of  the  Twenty-fourth  North  Carolina 
Regiment.  Still  in  advance  of  the  captured  wrorks  a  second 
line  of  strong  intrenchments  was  discovered  and  an  attempt 
to  capture  them  by  assault  was  made,  but  our  ranks  being 
more  or  less  in  confusion  and  the  enemy  having  been  strongly 
reinforced,  the  attempt  was  abandoned  and  we  fell  back  to  the 
first  main  line,  which  we  busied  ourselves  in  turning  and 
strengthening.  The  enemy  made  several  desperate  but  futile 
attempts  to  recapture  this  line,  but  was  repulsed  at  every 
point  with  severe  losses. 

The  peculiarity  of  the  rebel  yell  is  worthy  of  mention,  but 
none  of  the  old  soldiers  wrho  heard  it  once  will  ever  forget  it. 
Instead  of  the  deep-chested  manly  cheer  of  the  Union  men, 
the  rebel  yell  was  a  falsetto  yelp  which,  when  heard  at  a  dis 
tance,  reminded  one  of  a  lot  of  school  boys  at  play.  It  was  a 
peculiar  affair  for  a  battle  yell,  but  though  we  made  fun  of  it 
at  first,  we  grew  to  respect  it  before  the  war  was  over.  The 
yell  might  sound  effeminate,  but  those  who  uttered  it  were  not 
effeminate  by  any  means.  When  the  Union  men  charged,  it 
was  with  heads  erect,  shoulders  squared  and  thrown  back,  and 
with  a  firm  stride,  but  when  the  Johnnies  charged,  it  was  with 
a  jog  trot  in  a  half-bent  position,  and  though  they  might  be 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  241 

met  with  heavy  and  blighting  volleys,  they  came  on  with  the 
pertinacity  of  bulldogs,  filling  up  the  gaps  and  trotting  on  with 
their  never-ceasing  "ki-yi"  until  we  found  them  face  to  face. 

Heavy  rain  fell  after  we  had  gained  the  works,  and  con 
tinued  during  the  day.  About  noon  we  were  reinforced  by  a 
portion  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  but  still  remained  in  the  captured 
works.  The  roar  of  musketry  and  artillery  was  incessant  dur 
ing  the  entire  day  and  night. 

Many  of  the  guns  which  the  Confederates  had  abandoned, 
remained  between  the  lines  at  such  points  as  rendered  it 
impossible  for  either  side  to  reach  them  owing  to  the  sharp 
fire  maintained  by  both  armies.  During  the  night  the  rebels 
made  a  desperate  attempt  to  secure  the  guns,  but  they  were 
held  at  bay.  The  ground  the  next  morning  was  thickly  strewn 
with  his  dead  and  wounded,  affording  ample  proof  of  the 
desperation  of  the  assault. 

The  persistent  fire  kept  up  by  both  armies  was  so  fierce  that 
large  forest  trees  were  cut  down  by  bullets  alone  and  one  of 
these,  preserved  in  the  National  Museum  at  Washington,  is 
still  to  be  seen,  in  evidence  of  this  statement. 

The  morning  of  the  I3th  found  us  still  in  possession  of  the 
captured  works,  the  enemy  having  retired  just  before  daylight 
to  the  second  line.  The  scene  in  our  immediate  front  was  one 
of  the  most  fearful  and  repulsive  that  it  was  ever  our 
fortune  to  behold.  Words  are  inadequate  to  convey  any  idea 
of  the  sanguinary  spectacle.  Parties  were  engaged  nearly  all 
day  in  burying  the  dead ;  but  very  few  wounded  were  found, 
as  those  who  had  at  first  received  only  slight  wounds,  were 
unable  to  escape  and  were  compelled  to  remain  upon  the  field 
to  be  riddled  again  and  again  by  the  bullets  of  both  friend  and 
foe. 

A  war  correspondent  writing  from  the  battlefield,  thus 
describes  this  scene  of  carnage  and  horror : 

"The  angle  of  the  works  at  which  Hancock  entered,  and  for  the 
possession  of  which  the  savage  fight  of  the  day  was  made,  is  a  per 
fect  Golgotha.  In  this  angle  of  death,  the  dead  and  wounded  rebels 
lie  this  morning  literally  in  piles;  men  in  the  agonies  of  death, 
groaning  beneath  the  dead  bodies  of  their  comrades.  On  an  area 


242  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

of  a  few  acres  in  the  rear  of  their  first  position,  lie  not  less  than 
a  thousand  rebel  corpses;  many  literally  torn  to  shreds  by  hundreds 
of  balls,  and  several  with  bayonet  thrusts  through  and  through 
their  bodies,  pierced  on  the  very  margin  of  the  parapet  which  they 
were  determined  to  retake  or  perish  in  the  attempt.  The  one 
exclamation  of  every  man  who  looks  at  the  spectacle  is,  'God  forbid 
that  I  should  ever  gaze  upon  such  a  sight  again.'  '' 

On  the  I4th  the  division  was  not  actively  engaged,  but 
remained  in  the  works,  subjected  to  the  constant  fire  of  the 
enemy. 

On  May  I5th  the  division  was  moved  into  the  advanced 
line  of  earthworks,  relieving  a  portion  of  the  Third  Division, 
shortly  after  which  we  marched  again  to  the  left  and  were 
massed  in  the  rear  of  Burnside's  Corps  until  ordered  to  occupy 
and  hold  the  line  between  the  Landon  house  and  the  Ny 
River,  connecting  with  Burnside's  right.  Skirmishing  con 
tinued  incessantly  on  our  front  during  the  i6th  and  I7th, 
varied  by  occasional  sorties  and  demonstrations  made  at  inter 
vals  by  each  army  to  develop  the  position  of  their  opponents 
and  harass  the  weary  soldiers. 

On  the  morning  of  May  i8th,  an  attack  on  the  enemy's 
advanced  position  was  made  by  the  First  and  Second  Divisions 
of  the  Second  Corps,  our  division,  the  Third,  being  held  nomin 
ally  in  reserve.  We  occupied  a  portion  of  the  line  of  works 
and  though  under  fire  of  both  artillery  and  musketry,  the 
losses  in  the  Sixty-third  were  comparatively  light  during  the 
day. 

Birney's  division  having  been  constantly  at  the  front  since 
the  commencement  of  the  campaign,  May  3rd,  was  relieved 
at  midnight  of  the  i8th,  and  at  2  o'clock  on  the  next  morning, 
marched  once  more  to  the  left  and  rear  where  it  was  massed 
near  the  Anderson  house  and  ordered  to  encamp.  All  hailed 
with  joy  the  prospect  of  a  day  of  rest,  undisturbed  by  the 
music  of  whistling  bullets,  and  we  accordingly  pitched  our 
"shelters"  in  a  beautiful  clover  field  where  listening  to  the 
sullen  roar  of  distant  cannon  from  the  front,  we  devoted  the 
remainder  of  the  day  to  sleep  until  5  p.  m.,  when  orders  were 
received  to  "fall  in"  at  once,  in  light  marching  order  (without 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  243 

knapsacks,  haversacks  or  blankets)  and  leave  our  tents  stand 
ing.  Heavy  and  rapid  firing  had  been  heard  during  the  after 
noon  on  our  right. 

Our  lines  were  rapidly  formed  and  at  a  "double  quick"  we 
marched  in  the  direction  of  the  Fredericksburg  Pike,  where 
the  enemy,  (Ewell's  Corps),  had  attacked  our  supply  trains 
and  made  a  desperate  effort  to  turn  our  flank  and  get  in  our 
rear.  Arriving  upon  the  scene  of  action,,  we  found  that  the 
First  Maine  and  the  First  Massachusetts  heavy  artillery  regi 
ments,  numbering  nearly  two  thousand  men  each,  fresh  from 
the  defenses  of  Washington,  had  been  engaged  with  severe 
losses.  Although  they  had  been  in  service  for  nearly  two 
years,  this  was  their  "baptism  of  fire,"  and  first  experience  in 
the  department  where  bullets  whistled.  They  behaved  with 
great  gallantry  and  held  the  enemy  at  bay  until  the  arrival 
of  our  division,  which,  owing  to  the  innumerable  occasions 
upon  which  it  had  made  forced  marches  and  hurried  to  the 
front  in  emergencies,  had  become  famous  throughout  the  army 
by  the  appropriate  pseudonyms  of  "Birney's  Flying  Infantry" 
and  "Birney's  Foot  Calvary."  Immediately  upon  arriving,  our 
division  charged  the  woods,  advancing  beyond  and  relieving 
the  lines  of  the  "Heavies,"  and  driving  the  foe  before  us. 

The  ground  was  literally  covered  with  dead  and  wounded 
of  the  heavy  artillery  regiments.  Not  having  had  previous 
experience  in  campaigning  and  actual  fighting,  the  officers  and 
men  of  these  regiments  neglected  the  precautions  which 
veterans  take,  and  instead  of  lying  down  and  availing  them- 
themselves  of  natural  protections,  had  chosen  their  position  on 
the  crest  of  a  hillock,  where  they  stood  erect,  as  on  dress 
parade  or  battalion  drill,  thus  furnishing  admirable  targets  for 
the  Confederates  who  fought,  as  usual,  in  the  woods  and  from 
behind  trees,  fences  and  boulders.  We  held  this  position, 
exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  until  night,  when  a  picket 
line  was  established  in  our  front.  Earthworks  were  hastily 
thrown  up  for  protection,  the  men  using  bayonets,  knives, 
forks  and  tin  plates  for  the  purpose.  At  daylight  the  whole 
line  avdanced,  and  in  connection  with  the  First  Brigade,  we 


244  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

captured  a  number  of  prisoners,  the  main  body  of  Confederates 
having  retired  and  re-crossed  the  river. 

Although  it  was  after  midnight  when  we  were  ordered  to 
"sleep  behind  our  stacked  arms  and  hold  ourselves  in  readiness 
for  any  emergency,"  we  were  roused  at  3  a.  m.  and  again 
moved  to  the  front.  In  the  uncertain  light  of  gray  dawn  we 
slowly  and  cautiously  advanced  but  contrary  to  our  expecta 
tions,  met  with  no  resistance  from  the  enemy,  who  we  found 
had  retreated  during  the  night. 

Many  stragglers  from  the  rebel  ranks  were  taken  prisoners, 
from  whom  wre  learned  that  Ewell,  with  his  corps,  had  made  a 
forced  march  on  the  preceding  day  in  order  to  take  us 
unawares  and  capture  our  wagon  trains  and  cattle  corrals,  and 
that  his  soldiers  were  footsore,  tired,  and  well  night  exhausted. 
The  woods  through  which  we  advanced  were  filled  with  worn- 
out  rebels,  who  had  dropped  out  of  the  retreating  ranks  when 
orders  were  received  for  another  night  march.  Without  firing 
a  shot  we  "annexed''  between  six  and  seven  hundred  dis 
gruntled,  unwilling  prisoners.  As  it  was  impossible  in  the 
dark  to  distinguish  by  their  uniforms  the  "Johnnie  Rebs" 
from  our  own  men,  many  amusing  incidents  and  dialogues 
occurred  when  our  skirmishers  encountered  stray  individuals 
or  squads  while  wandering  through  the  forests.  Numerous 
"Johnnies,"  supposing  our  skirmish  lines  to  be  the  rear  guard 
of  their  own  commands,  fell  into  line  and  marched  along  with 
us  until  they  discovered  their  error,  when  they  surrendered 
with  good  grace. 

One  well  educated  non-commissioned  officer  of  a  regiment 
belonging  to  General  Johnson's  Corps,  which  we  had  "gob 
bled"  entire  at  Spottsylvania  of  the  I2th  of  May,  was  among 
the  prisoners  taken.  He  was  just  returning  from  a  furlough, 
and  being  unable  to  find  his  own  command,  had  been  ordered 
to  report  to  another  regiment  in  Ewell's  Corps.  When  cap 
tured  he  expressed  his  joy  at  being  able  to  proceed  to  Wash 
ington  as  the  wording  of  his  furlough  required  him,  at  its 
expiration,  to  "report  to  his  regiment  at  Orange  Court  House, 
or  wherever  it  may  then  be,  or  be  considered  a  deserter."  His 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  245 

regiment  was  now  safely  within  the  Union  lines  and  prisoners 
of  war.  Many  of  the  rebels  captured,  when  escorted  to  the 
rear,  saluted  the  old  flag  by  taking  off  their  hats  and  signifying 
their  delight  at  being  once  more  in  "God's  Country"  and  under 
the  protection  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 

We  returned  to  camp  before  noon  and  rested  until  midnight 
of  the  2Oth,  when,  after  a  short  march,  we  bivouacked  at 
Gtiinney's  Station,  near  the  house  in  which,  one  year  before, 
the  rebel  general,  Stonewall  Jackson,  died  from  wounds 
received  in  the  Battle  of  Chancellorsville,  in  May,  1863. 

Continuing  our  march  in  the  morning,  we  passed  through 
Bowling  Green,  a  village  of  some  size  and  pretentious  before 
the  war.  All  the  stores  were  closed  and  nearly  empty  of 
merchandise,  and  the  residences  in  a  very  shabby  and  dilapi 
dated  condition.  The  men  proceeded  to  ''open  the  stores" 
without  waiting  for  the  keys  and  carried  on  a  brisk  business 
on  their  own  accounts  without  consulting  the  proprietor  or 
credit  man,  as  long  as  the  stocks  held  out.  The  presumption 
is  that  the  merchants  on  their  return,  made  sundry  entries  in 
the  profit  and  loss  accounts  of  their  ledgers.  They  certainly 
had  no  occasion  to  use  their  cash  books.  The  owner  of  a 
drug  store  was  found  and  on  account  of  some  objectionable 
"chin  music"  on  his  part,  accompanied  by  uncomplimentary 
allusions  to  the  United  States  Government  and  its  defenders, 
his  pill  emporium  was  completely  "cleaned  out"  by  the  soldiers 
although  little  cf  the  merchandise  was  of  the  class  needed  by 
Union  tourists.  The  jail  was  broken  open  and  two  prisoners, 
a  gentleman  of  color  and  a  representative  of  the  poor  white 
trash  element,  liberated  on  their  individual  paroles  and  leg 
bail,  without  even  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance. 

The  heat  and  dust  were  very  oppressive  and  the  day's  march 
severe  and  fatiguing.  Regimental  and  brigade  bands  favored 
the  citizens  with  the  first  strains  of  Union  music  they  had 
listened  to  for  many  months,  as  we  marched  through  the  vil 
lage  streets.  Our  march  was  continued  through  the  pretty 
little  village  of  Milford,  near  which  place  we  bivouacked  after 
a  march  of  nearly  twenty  miles. 


246  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

On  the  following  morning  we  advanced  our  lines  and  threw 
up  a  strong  line  of  intrenchments  in  anticipation  of  an  attack. 
On  the  23rd  we  marched  at  daylight,  and  shortly  after  noon 
effected  a  junction  with  the  Fifth  Corps,  near  the  North  Anna 
River.  The  enemy  was  found  in  considerable  force  at  the  vari 
ous  fords  and  strongly  intrenched  on  the  southern  side  of  Tay 
lor's  bridge.  A  portion  of  our  division  was  immediately  ordered 
up,  and  to  Colonel  T.  W.  Egan,  of  the  Fortieth  New  York, 
commanding  the  brigade,  was  assigned  the  duty  of  driving 
the  enemy  across  the  river  and  securing  possession  of  the 
bridge.  The  line  of  the  Second  Brigade,  commanded  by  Col 
onel  Byron  R.  Pierce,  of  the  Third  Michigan  Regiment,  was 
formed  in  a  belt  of  woods  a  short  distance  from  the  river.  The 
enemy  occupied  the  crest  of  a  hill  in  our  front,  sloping  down 
to  the  river  banks.  At  the  word  of  command  from  Colonel 
Pierce,  the  brigade  moved  forward  in  splendid  order,  charging 
the  enemy's  line,  which  broke  and  ran.  A  rebel  battery  across 
the  stream  swept  the  field  across  which  we  advanced  but  our 
lines,  unwavering,  went  gallantly  forward  in  the  face  of  a 
murderous  fire,  until  the  river  banks  were  reached  and  we 
found  the  stream  unfordable.  This  position  we  held  until 
dark,  keeping  up  a  continuous  fire  upon  the  enemy,  until  our 
ammunition  was  exhausted.  During  the  charge  Captain 
Daniel  Dougherty,  a  brave  officer  of  the  Sixty-third,  was 
mortally  and  Captain  Mclntosh  was  slightly  wounded. 

In  Dana  &  Wilson's  "Life  of  General  Grant,"  this  brief 
illusion  is  made  to  the  brilliant  engagement  at  the  North 
Anna : 

"Hancock  struck  the  river  at  the  County  Bridge,  a  mile  west  of 
the  railroad  crossing;  but  the  rebels  had  constructed  a  tete  de  pont 
covering  this  bridge,  overlooked  by  a  heavy  line  of  intrenchments 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  and  it  was  necessary  to  capture  these 
works  in  order  to  effect  a  passage.  Birney's  division  of  the  Second 
Corps  was  charged  with  this  perilous  duty,  and  about  an  hour  after 
sundown,  under  cover  of  a  heavy  fire  from  the  corps  of  artillery 
placed  in  position  under  Colonel  Tidball,  the  assault  was  made,  the 
brigades  of  Egan  and  Pierce  bearing  the  brunt  of  the  fight.  Advanc 
ing  at  double  quick,  those  gallant  veterans  carried  the  bridge  head 
in  the  handsomest  manner  and  capturing  some  thirty  or  forty  prison- 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  247 

ers,  who  were  left  in  the  trench  by  their  flying  companions.  This 
affair,  which  was  witnessed  by  Generals  Hancock,  Birney  and  other 
general  officers,  was  pronounced  by  them  one  of  the  most  brilliant  in 
the  campaign." 

After  falling  back,  the  regiments  of  the  brigade  threw  up 
a  line  of  works  which  they  occupied  until  noon  of  the  follow 
ing  day  when  they  moved  by  the  left  flank,  in  rear  of  our 
advanced  line,  and  crossing  the  river,  constructed  another  line 
of  works  to  the  left  of  the  mansion  of  Dr.  Fox,  a  retired  Bap 
tist  preacher,  who  was  the  possesor  of  a  finely  furnished  home 
and  valuable  library,  oil  paintings,  chemical  laboratory,  ele 
gant  furniture  and  works  of  art.  The  house  was  completely 
dismantled,  and  a  fine  piano,  rare  volumes,  family  portraits, 
sofas  and  upholstered  chairs,  were  distributed  through  the 
works.  After  dusk  we  were  moved  to  an  advanced  position 
rilling  a  gap  between  the  right  of  the  First  Division  and  the 
left  of  the  Fourth  Brigade  of  the  Second  Division.  Here  the 
troops  were  busily  engaged  in  the  construction  of  another  line 
of  works  until  daybreak.  Several  minor  changes  of  position 
took  place  the  following  day,  and  at  midnight  we  abandoned 
the  line,  recrossing  to  the  north  side  of  the  river,  where,  by 
order  of  the  brigade  commander,  Major  Levi  Bird  Duff,  of  the 
division  staff,  left  the  Sixty-third  under  Captain  Moorhead  to 
guard  the  bridge  until  the  pickets  and  rear  guard  were  safely 
over,  and  then  destroy  it. 

This  was  successfully  accomplished,  and  Captain  Moorhead 
with  his  command,  rejoined  the  brigade  and  with  it  marched 
in  the  direction  of  Pamunky  River,  about  three  miles,  resum 
ing  the  march  the  next  morning,  bivouacking  about  midnight 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Pamunky. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  May  25th,  we  crossed  the  Pamunky 
on  a  pontoon  bridge  at  Nelson's  Ford,  and  after  a  march  of 
about  ten  miles  formed  line  of  battle  and  threw  up  entrench 
ments  near  the  residence  of  Mr.  Elliot,  a  very  intelligent  gen 
tleman  who,  referring  to  the  privations  caused  by  the  war, 
furnished  our  officers  the  following  "price  current"  which  he 
had  recently  paid  (in  Confederate  money)  for  the  articles 
enumerated : 


248  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

Flour,  per  barrel $400.00 

Butter,   per  pound 30.00 

Ham,  per   pound 15.00 

Shoes,   per  pair 60.00 

B'oots,  per  pair 250.00 

Hogs,    each 200.00 

Sunday,  May  29th,  was  a  beautiful  day,  and  in  the  morning 
a  Sabbath  silence  reigned  in  our  front.  Barlow's  division 
made  a  reconnoissance  and  our  division  was  under  arms  in 
readiness  to  move  to  their  support  should  they  encounter  the 
enemy  in  force.  At  4  p.  m.  marching  orders  were  counter 
manded  and  it  was  announced  that  we  would  remain  for  the 
night  but  we  were,  however,  soon  again  en  route,  marching 
in  the  direction  of  Mechanicsville  Pike.  After  moving  about 
four  miles  we  bivouacked  in  the  vicinity  of  Tolopotomy  Creek. 
On  the  following  morning  we  threw  up  a  strong  line  of  works 
under  a  severe  shelling  from  the  enemy's  batteries  and  a 
destructive  fire  from  the  sharpshooters  at  short  range,  losing  a 
number  of  officers  and  men. 

At  dark  our  artillery  and  a  cohorn  mortar  battery  which 
had  been  placed  in  position  in  our  new  line,  opened  a  brisk 
fire  upon  the  enemy's  works  across  Tolopotomy  Creek.  This 
was  the  first  occasion  during  the  present  campaign  that 
"cohorns"  had  been  brought  into  requisition,  and  the  pre 
cision  with  which  they  dropped  their  shells  behind  breast 
works  impervious  to  direct  cannon  shots,  had  a  most  demor 
alizing  effect  upon  the  troops  against  whom  they  were 
directed,  causing  them  to  "get  up  and  dust"  with  surprising 
alacrity.  Picket  firing  continued  in  our  front  all  the  evening 
and  at  intervals  during  the  night. 

Egan's  brigade  of  our  division  made  a  vigorous  charge  and 
assault  upon  the  enemy's  entrenched  position  on  the  morning 
of  May  3 ist,  capturing  the  works  and  many  prisoners  of 
Breckenridge's  command  which  had  just  returned  from  the 
Shenandoah  valley,  where  they  had  a  severe  engagement  with 
General  Sigel,  resulting  in  his  defeat.  Our  brigade  moved  to 
the  front,  relieving  Egan's  brigade  in  the  captured  works. 
After  dark  we  returned  to  the  north  banks  of  the  Tolopotomy 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  249 

where  we  remained  until  midnight  of  June  ist,  at  which  time 
we  took  up  the  line  of  march  in  the  direction  of  Cold  Harbor. 
The  historian  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Pennsylvania 
Regiment  thus  graphically  described  the  march  : 

"The  night  was  dark  and  stormy,  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  the 
thunder  echoed  and  reverberated  louder  than  artillery,  bright  flashes 
of  lightning  lit  up  the  scene,  the  wind  swept  in  fierce  gusts,  and  the 
trees  bent  and  snapped  in  the  face  of  the  advancing  forces,  while 
the  Chickahominy  was  swelled  into  a  raging  flood.  The  contem 
plated  attack  which  had  been  fixed  for  that  evening  had  to  be 
postponed  and  the  army,  wet  and  tired,  bivouacked  for  the  night 
on  the  damp  ground,  while  the  heavens  were  still  open  and  the 
floods  descended  upon  them." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

(From  June  1,  1864,  to  July  4,  1864.) 


BATTLE  OF  COLD  HARBOR— MARCH  TO  PETERSBURG— IN  THE  TRENCHES. 


"Flag  of  the  brave!  thy  folds  shall  fly, 
The  sign  of  hope  and  triumph  high! 
When  speaks  the  signal  trumpet  tone, 
And  the  long  line  comes  gleaming  on, 
Ere  yet  the  life  blood,  warm  and  wet, 
Has  dimmed  the  glistening  bayonet, 
Each  soldiers'  eye  shall  brightly  turn 
To  where  thy  sky-born  glories  burn, 
And  as  his  springing  steps  advance, 
Catch  war  and  vengeance  from  the  glance." 

'T'HE  morning  of  Thursday,  June  2,  1864,  dawned  dark  and 
gloomy  upon  the  embattled  hosts  of  two  armies  at  Cold 
Harbor.  At  daylight  the  First  Division  of  the  Second  Corps 
charged  the  enemy's  works  and  established  a  new  line,  while 
Birney's  division  occupied  the  line  vacated  by  them.  In  the 
afternoon  we  moved  to  the  right  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps, 
passing  on  our  route  the  old  homestead  of  Stephen  Hopkins, 
of  revolutionary  fame.  A  neat  white  cottage  occupied  by 
descendants  of  the  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
was  standing  near  the  site  of  the  old  Hopkins  mansion  which 
was  now  in  ruins,  only  a  pile  of  brick  and  stone  remaining  to 
mark  the  spot  where  the  old  patriot  lived  and  died. 

During  the  day  we  marched  about  two  miles  and  at  night 
were  assigned  position  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  army.  Early 
on  the  morning  of  the  3rd  \ve  moved  with  the  brigade  to  the 
right,  where  we  were  held  in  reserve,  supporting  the  First 
Division.  Soon  after,  we  again  moved  to  the  right,  filling  a 
gap  between  the  Fifth  and  Eighteenth  Corps,  which  had  been 
occupied  only  by  a  line  of  skirmishers. 

During  the  afternoon  of  June  3rd,  the  enemy  made  several 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  251 

vigorous  assaults  upon  our  lines,  and  were  as  repeatedly 
repulsed  with  severe  losses.  Headley's  "Great  Rebellion" 
thus  refers  to  the  engagement  at  Cold  Harbor : 

"Grant  was  now  determined  to  give  battle  on  the  next  day;  and 
Hancock's  corps,  which,  after  the  withdrawal  of  Warren's,  held  the 
extreme  right,  was  brought  over  to  the  extreme  left  during  the  night. 
He  had  to  fight  his  way  into  position,  so  that  he  was  not  ready  to 
advance  until  afternoon.  The  attack  was  ordered  to  commence  at  5 
o'clock,  but  just  before  the  hour  arrived,  the  heavens  grew  black  as 
night,  and  a  heavy  thunder  cloud  pushed  its  way  across  the  sky. 
Its  dark  bosom  was  incessantly  riven  by  lightning  and  the  thunder 
boomed  louder  than  the  artillery,  above  the  waiting  armies.  The 
wind  swept  by  in  fierce  gusts,  bending  the  trees  like  wands  in  its 
path,  and  everything  betokened  a  wild  and  stormy  evening.  Soon 
the  burdened  clouds  opened,  and  the  rain  came  down  in  a  perfect 
deluge,  turning  the  fields  into  standing  pools  and  swelling  the 
Chickahominy  into  a  turbid  flood. 

The  order  for  the  attack  had,  therefore,  to  be  countermanded  and 
the  drenched  army  went  into  bivouac  for  the  night.  A  new  order 
was  issued,  fixing  the  attack  at  4:30  in  the  morning. 

Hancock's  corps  was  on  the  extreme  left,  Wright's  next,  the  Eigh 
teenth,  under  Smith,  next,  then  came  Warren,  and  last,  Burnside 
holding  the  extreme  right.  The  Rebel  Army  was  drawn  up  in 
front  'Of  the  Chickahominy,  two  lines  deep,  with  a  heavy  skirmish 
line  well  advanced.  It  was  irregular,  to  conform  to  the  ridges,  woods 
and  swamps  over  or  across  which  it  extended.  Between  the  two 
armies  lay  a  low,  swampy  region,  made  worse  by  the  thunder  storm 
of  the  night  before — and  this  was  to  be  the  battlefield. 

The  morning  was  dark  and  gloomy,  and  a  gentle  rain  was  falling, 
as  the  firm-set  lines  moved  out  from  behind  their  breastworks  and 
began  to  advance  over  the  field.  The  skirmish  line,  pushing  rapidly 
forward,  soon  encountered  that  of  the  enemy,  and  the  sharp,  irregu 
lar  volleys  awoke  the  morning  echoes.  The  next  minute  the  artillery 
opened,  and  from  right  to  left  for  miles  along  the  Chickahominy,  the 
deep  reverberations  rolled  like  heaven's  own  thunder  of  the  night 
before. 

The  advance  of  that  mighty  host,  as  the  long  lines  of  glittering 
steel  rose  and  fell  along  the  uneven  ground,  was  a  magnificent  spec 
tacle.  Hancock,  on  the  left,  first  came  up  to  the  enemy's  works. 
Barlow,  with  four  brigades,  formed  the  extreme  left;  and  this  gal 
lant  commander  carried  his  troops  for  .half  a  mile,  through  woods 
and  open  spaces,  under  a  heavy  fire,  square  up  to  the  rebel  works. 

These  were  the  immortal  brigades  which  made  the  gallant  dash 


252  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

into  the  works  at  Spottsylvania,  'and  here,  enacting  again  their 
heroic  deeds,  they  sprang  with  a  shout  over  the  enemy's  parapets, 
capturing  the  guns,  colors,  and  several  hundred  prisoners.  This  was 
the  key  to  the  rebel  position,  and  could  this  gallant  charge  have 
been  properly  supported,  Lee's  'army,  in  all  probability,  would  have 
been  driven  over  the  Chickahominy.  The  latter  was  aware  of  this, 
and  had  guarded  well  against  such  a  catastrophe,  for  Barlow  had  not 
yet  turned  the  captured  guns  upon  him  when  a  heavy  force  under 
Hill  was  seen  advancing  to  retrieve  the  disaster. 

*  #  #  # 

The  whole  of  Hancock's  corps  advanced  simultaneously  with  Bar 
low's  division  and  came,  like  it,  upon  the  rebel  works  and  made  des 
perate  efforts  to  carry  them.  Deafening  yells,  rising  from  behind  the 
hostile  intrenchments,  answered  with  shouts  all  along  our  lines — 
incessant  explosions  of  artillery  and  crashing  volleys  of  musketry 
— the  long,  low,  sulphurous  cloud  hanging  in  the  damp  air  above  the 
combatants — the  never-ceasing  stream  of  wounded,  borne  back  to 
the  rear,  made  the  summer  morning  one  of  gloom  and  terror  to  the 
beholder. 

*  *  *  * 

The  brunt  of  the  battle  was  borne  by  Hancock's  corps,  which  also 
gained  most  of  the  advantage  that  was  even  temporarily  secured. 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  again  flung  itself  against  the  rebel 
works  in  vain,  and  rent  and  bleeding,  fell  back,  but  not  to  its  orig 
inal  position.  A  lull  came  in  the  battle,  and  the  anxious  question 
asked  by  all  was:  "Will  the  assault  be  renewed?"  Grant  and  Meade 
stood  on  a  naked  eminence  in  consultation;  the  Latter,  nervous  and 
emphatic  in  his  manner,  the  former  cool  and  imperturbable  as  ever, 
looking  gravely,  sternly,  on  the  embattled  hosts  and  ensanguined 
field. 

Intervening  woods  hid  much  of  the  country  and,  apparently  wish 
ing  to  ascertain  for  himself  the  true  condition  of  things,  he  called 
for  his  horse  and  mounting  it,  rode  down  to  Hancock's  headquarters 
and  after  consulting  with  him,  went  over  to  Wright's.  All  this 
time  occasional  firing  was  heard  along  the  lines,  for  they  were  still 
in  close  proximity,  especially  on  the  left — Barlow  being  on  one  side 
of  a  ridge  and  the  enemy  on  the  other,  not  more  than  fifty  yards 

apart. 

*  *  *  * 

The  two  armies  remained  in  this  relative  position  all  day,  neither 
making  any  decided  demonstration.  But  just  after  dark,  the  rebels 
came  down  on  Hancock's  corps  in  one  of  their  tremendous  charges. 
Our  brave  troops,  however,  had  moved  too  often  on  formidable  works 
without  flinching  to  be  driven  from  be'hind  their  own  intrenchments 
by  any  force;  and  as  the  dark  mass  became  well  defined  in  the  grey 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  253 

gloom,  they  poured  in  volley  after  volley  of  musketry  with  a  cool 
ness  and  precision  that  made  the  hostile  lines  melt  away  as  though 
swallowed  up  by  the  night,  while  the  deadly  batteries  tore  huge 
gaps  through  the  dim  formations. 

The  assault,  however,  was  a  most  gallant  one  and  the  great  open 
ings  made  in  the  ranks  were  closed  up  with  steadiness  and  a  noble 
devotion,  and  they  pressed  forward  until  they  reached  the  breast 
works  and  poured  their  fire  over  the  very  parapets — some  even  get 
ting  upon  them,  but  only  to  fall  dead  before  the  terrible  fire  that 
met  them.  Their  shouts  of  defiance  rung  over  the  din  of  battle,  and 
the  order  "FORWARD,"  rose  steady  and  strong  through  the 
darkness,  but  all  their  efforts  to  carry  the  entrenchments  were 
in  vain.  Our  troops  had  been  compelled  again  and  again  to  attack 
the  enemy  behind  their  breastworks,  and  had  been  repulsed,  and 
now  they  had  their  revenge  and  hurled  the  assailants  back  with 
terrible  slaughter. 

Thus  ended  the  Battle  of  Cold  Harbor  or,  as  it  has  sometimes  been 
called,  of  Chickahominy.  Grant  had  failed  here,  as  at  Spottsylvania, 
and  it  was  plain  he  could  not  force  the  Chickahominy.  It  then 
became  a  serious  question  what  the  next  move  on  that  mighty  chess 
board  would  be. 

The  aspect  of  affairs  had  been  materially  changed  since  McClellan, 
two  years  before,  attempted  to  move  on  Richmond  from  the  same 
point.  He  found  no  trouble  in  crossing  the  Chickahominy  indeed, 
had  but  little  difficulty  in  advancing  two  miles  beyond  it.  But  that 
campaign  taught  the  rebels  wisdom,  and  now  strong  works  dotted 
the  country  in  every  direction,  and  for  five  miles  out  of  Richmond 
every  available  point  was  fortified." 

In  the  afternoon,  much  to  the  joy  and  relief  of  the  weary 
soldiers,  the  following  order  was  promulgated : 

"Headquarters  Army  of  the  Potomac, 

Orders:  June  3,   1864,  1:30   P.   M. 

For  the  present  all  further  offensive  operations  will  be  suspended. 
Corps  commanders  will  advance,  entrench  the  positions  they  now 
hold,  including  their  advanced  positions;    and  will  cause  reconnois- 
ance  to  be  made  with  a  view  to  move  against  the  enemy's  works  by 
regular  approaches  from  the  advanced  positions  now  held. 

Should  the  enemy  assume  the  offensive  and  succeed  in  breaking 
through  any  point  of  our  line,  the  corps  commander  nearest  to  the 
assaulted  point  will  throw  his  whole  force  upon  the  enemy's  column 
making  the  attack. 

By  command  of 

(Signed)      S.    WILLIAMS,  MAJOR  GENERAL  MEADE. 

Assistant  Adjutant  General." 


254  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

It  had  now  become  evident  that  Richmond  could  not  be 
taken  in  this  direction,  and  Grant  therefore  determined  to 
keep  on  to  the  James.  The  army,  availing  itself  of  Meade's 
order,  remained  in  the  works  around  Cold  Harbor  until  the 
night  of  June  I2th,  and  although  the  pickets  on  our  immediate 
front,  by  tacit  understanding  among  the  men,  fired  only 
occasionally,  we  were  considerably  annoyed  and  lost  a  num 
ber  of  men  from  the  fire  of  rebel  sharpshooters  posted  behind 
their  works  or  perched  in  trees  in  rear  of  their  picket  line 
proper. 

The  battle  flags  of  our  division  and  brigade  headquarters, 
emblazoned  conspicuously  by  the  red  diamond,  had  become 
familiar  to  the  enemy  and  during  the  entire  campaign,  unless 
actively  engaged,  the  pickets  when  in  our  front  would  refrain 
from  firing  when  on  posts.  It  was  a  common  occurrence 
after  a  new  picket  line  was  established,  to  hear  from  the 
enemy's  line  a  salutation  like  this,  "Hello !  you  Kearney  boys ! 
Glad  to  see  you  'uns  again.  If  you  'uns  don't  fire,  we  'uns 
won't,  unless  we  get  orders,  and  then  we  'uns  fire  over  you 
'uns  heads  as  a  warning  if  you  'uns  will  do  the  same."  Thus  a 
truce  would  be  unofficially  declared  between  the  enlisted  men 
and  it  would  be  religiously  maintained,  the  pickets  sticking 
their  bayonets  in  the  ground,  coming  out  of  their  rifle  pits  and 
walking  around,  exchanging  greetings  and  badinage  with  each 
other,  in  the  most  friendly  spirit  and  occasionally  meeting 
between  the  lines  to  trade  coffee  and  sugar,  for  tobacco,  or  to 
exchange  New  York  and  Washington  papers  for  the  latest 
news  from  Richmond. 

To  withdraw  such  a  vast  army  from  the  immediate  front  of 
the  enemy  was  a  dangerous  and  extremely  hazardous  under 
taking,  for  it  was  hardly  expected  that  it  could  be  done  unob 
served  by  him  and  he  would  not  fail  in  case  of  discovering,  to 
attack  both  in  flank  and  rear. 

Hitherto  on  this  campaign,  all  of  Grant's  movements  had 
been  by  his  left  flank  and  made  in  the  same  way.  This  policy 
was  now  radically  changed  and  the  commander-in-chief  deter- 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  255 

mined  to  swing  loose  from  the  enemy's  lines  and  by  a  rapid 
march  of  some  fifty  miles  or  more,  attach  Richmond  direct. 

About  9  o'clock  p.  m.  of  Sunday,  June  I2th,  we  moved  cau 
tiously  and  noiselessly  to  the  left  and  rear.  It  was  bright 
moonlight  and  the  utmost  caution  was  necessary  that  the 
enemy  might  not  discover  our  intentions.  We  marched  via 
Barker's  Mills  and  with  very  few  and  brief  halts  for  rest, 
continued  on  our  way  until  daybreak  of  Monday,  the  I3th, 
when  we  halted  for  breakfast  at  St.  James'  church.  Here  we 
remained  for  about  two  hours,  when  the  march  was  resumed, 
our  division  crossing  the  railroad  at  Despatch  Station.  At 
noon  we  reached  the  famed  Chickahominy,  which  we  crossed 
on  pontoons  at  a  point  known  as  Long  Bridge.  The  bridge 
itself  had  been  destroyed  by  the  enemy.  Our  route  now  lay 
via  St.  Mary's  church  and  Charles  City  Cross  Roads  (historic 
ground)  in  the  direction  of  Charles  City  Court  House.  We 
arrived  at  Wilcox  Landing,  on  the  James  River,  at  9  o'clock 
p.  m.  atfer  a  tedious  march  of  about  twenty-five  miles.  At 
II  o'clock  wre  formed  in  line  of  battle  and  received  orders  to 
throw  up  a  line  of  intrenchments.  Soon  after  this  order  was 
countermanded  and  \ve  bivouacked  for  the  night.  During  the 
day  we  passed  a  number  of  fine  residences,  all  of  which  had 
been  abandoned  by  the  owners  and  families. 

The  division  crossed  the  James  at  Wilcox  Landing  on  trans 
ports  on  the  morning  of  Tuesday,  June  I4th,  and  massed  in  a 
fine  field  of  clover  until  dark,  when  we  advanced  a  short  dis 
tance  and  bivouacked  in  line  of  battle.  On  the  following  day, 
having  been  delayed  by  an  endeavor  to  procure  rations,  we 
marched  in  the  direction  of  City  Point,  our  new  base  of  sup 
plies.  As  heavy  firing,  indicating  a  severe  engagement,  was 
heard  during  the  day,  we  deviated  from  our  original  course 
and  marched  in  the  direction  of  the  conflict.  As  we  neared 
the  "Cockade  City,"  as  Petersburg  was  popularly  known  in 
the  South,  we  encountered  a  number  of  wounded  colored  sol 
diers  belonging  to  General  "Baldy"  Smith's  Eighteenth  Corps, 
which  had  been  engaged  during  the  day  and  had  driven  the 
enemy  some  distance  into  his  inner  entrenchments  in  front  of 


256  .  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

Petersburg,  capturing  sixteen  pieces  of  artillery,  many  prison 
ers  and  a  formidable  line  of  earthworks  constituting  the  outer 
defenses  of  the  city.  At  9  o'clock  p.  m.,  after  a  march  of  about 
twenty  miles,  we  formed  a  connection  with  Smith's  Corps  and 
remained  behind  the  works  captured  by  him  from  the  enemy. 
Referring  to  the  situation  at  this  point  General  Grant,  in  his 
official  report,  says : 

"Between  the  lines  thus  captured  and  Petersburg  there  were  no 
other  works,  and  there  was  no  evidence  that  the  enemy  had  rein 
forced  Petersburg  with  >a  single  brigade  from  any  source.  The  night 
was  clear — the  moon  shining  brightly — 'and  favorable  to  further 
operations. 

General  Hancock,  with  two  divisions  of  the  Second  Corps,  reached 
General  Smith  just  after  dark  and  offered  the  services  of  these 
troops  as  he  (Smith)  might  wish,  waiving  rank  to  the  named  com 
mander  who,  he  naturally  supposed,  knew  best  the  position  of  affairs 
and  what  to  do  with  the  troops,  and  pushing  at  once  into  Peters 
burg  he  requested  General  Hancock  to  relieve  a  part  of  his  line  on 
the  captured  works  which  was  done  before  midnight." 

We  remained  in  the  works  near  the  Hare  house,  being  con 
stantly  under  severe  shelling,  musketry  fire  and  sharpshooting 
from  the  inner  works  of  the  Confederates  until  the  morning  of 
June  iSth,  when  we  were  relieved  by  some  colored  troops  and 
moved  to  a  position  in  front  of  the  house,  on  a  knoll  overlook 
ing  a  battlefield  where  a  Union  regiment  had  been  charged 
the  day  before  and  almost  cut  to  pieces,  leaving  the  ground 
strewn  with  dead  and  dying  men.  The  rebels  refused  to 
recognize  the  flag  of  truce,  and  the  poor  dying,  wounded  men, 
lay  on  the  field  without  aid. 

A  day  that  will  be  long  remembered  by  the  Sixty-third  was 
June  2 ist,  when  we  were  hurried  to  the  front  at  rapid  pace, 
toward  the  Weldon  Railroad,  and  halted  on  the  edge  of  the 
woods.  Immediately  in  our  front  was  a  wide  open  field,  and 
on  the  other  side  another  dense  woods.  History  tells  us  that 
a  gap  had  been  left  between  Birney's  and  Barlow's  divisions, 
which  were  on  our  left.  This  gap  had  been  discovered  by^the 
sharp-sighted  rebel  officers,  who  prepared  to  take  advantage 
of  it.  Our  pickets,  who  were  some  distance  in  our  front,  kept 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  257 

sending  back  reports  that  heavy  clouds  of  dust  could  be  seen 
arising  beyond  the  woods  in  their  front,  which  denoted  the 
movement  of  heavy  bodies  of  the  enemy  who  were  advancing 
toward  our  left.  The  boys  of  the  Sixty-third  felt  that  there 
was  something  important  about  to  take  place,  but  as  yet  had 
no  idea  what  it  could  be.  An  aide  came  riding  along  our  line, 
and  a  captain  of  our  regiment  called  to  him  and  asked  what 
was  the  outlook.  The  aide,  who  was  a  German,  shrugged  his 
shoulders  and  replied :  "I  do  shmell  von  tarn  pig  rat,"  and 
clapping  spurs  to  his  horse,  skedadddled  out  of  there  very 
rapidly. 

The  gap  between  the  divisions  was  the  rebels'  objective 
point  and  the  clouds  of  dust  noted  earlier,  were  caused  by 
their  pushing  their  men  into  it  in  order  to  reach  our  rear.  In 
a  short  time  all  uncertainty  was  ended  for  here  they  came  on 
our  left  flank  with  their  infernal  "Ki-yi,"  and  with  a  fierce 
onslaught  they  struck  Company  B,  rolling  up  the  left  of  the 
regiment  until  Company  B  was  mixed  up  with  the  color  com 
pany  in  the  center,  while  the  right  was  compelled  to  give  way. 
It  was  a  complete  surprise,  as  our  men  were  unprepared  for 
them,  never  dreaming  that  they  could  get  on  our  flank.  We 
were  expecting  a  front  attack,  of  which  we  would  be  notified 
by  our  pickets.  Our  regiment  had  stacked  arms,  and  the  first 
they  knew  the  rebel  hordes  were  in  our  midst.  Then  it  was 
every  man  for  himself.  We  retired,  not  standing  on  the  order 
of  our  going,  but  leaving  at  once.  Down  the  road  that  we  had 
marched  up  that  morning  we  went,  eager  for  solitude. 

Along  the  right-hand  side  of  the  road  was  a  long  pile  of 
cordwood,  piled  to  the  height  of  four  or  five  feet,  for  several 
hundred  yards.  On  the  left-hand  side  was  a  run  with  banks 
about  three  feet  high.  Company  A  and  several  other  com 
panies  had  branched  off  toward  the  right  and  got  off  safely, 
with  slight  loss,  but  Company  B  had  to  run  the  gauntlet.  As 
Captain  Nesbit  and  a  comrade  were  making  lightning  express 
time  down  the  road,  and  were  passing  the  long  line  of  cord- 
wood,  they  were  disagreeably  surprised  to  see  a  line  of  slouched 
hats  suddenly  rise  above  it  from  the  other  side,  and  a  shout 


258  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

of  "Halt !"  you  Yankee  -  — ,"  informed  them  who 

were  their  neighbors.  Without  stopping  an  instant  to  think, 
Nesbit  leaped  into  the  run  on  his  left,  while  his  companion 
hesitated  for  a  moment.  That  hesitation  was  fatal,  and  the 
next  instant  he  fell,  perforated  with  bullets,  while  Nesbit 
escaped,  the  balls  passing  over  his  head.  This  volley,  and  the 
yells  of  the  rebs,  did  not  induce  the  captain  to  linger  and 
to  this  day  the  old  vet's  face  kindles  with  pride  as  he  remem 
bers  the  fast  running  he  did  down  that  run  until  he  finally 
escaped  into  the  woods.  He  actually  believes  he  outran  the 
musket  balls. 

The  report  had  been  circulated  that  Captain  Nesbit  had  been 
killed,  as  many  thought  the  unfortunate  man  that  had  been 
shot  was  the  captain,  not  seeing  him  during  his  desperate  run, 
but  that  night  when  he  walked  into  camp  and  began  to  howl 
for  something  to  eat,  everybody  was  rejoiced. 

The  regiment  rallied  some  distance  in  the  rear,  as  the  rebels, 
for  some  unaccountable  reason,  did  not  follow  up  their  gains. 

We  lay  until  the  evening  of  the  22nd,  where  we  had  rallied 
and  then  advanced  and  made  a  charge,  routing  the  rebels  and 
regaining  the  field  we  had  lost  the  day  before.  In  this  charge 
brave  young  Joseph  Hoopes,  of  Company  B,  was  killed,  with 
several  others  sharing  the  same  fate.  Hoopes  was  a  very 
popular  young  fellow  among  his  comrades,  fearless  as  a  lion. 
During  his  entire  time  of  service  he  kept  a  daily  record  of  the 
doings  of  the  regiment,  and  his  last  letter  home  was  found  on 
his  body  after  his  death. 

Next  day  we  moved  a  short  distance  to  the  rear,  where  we 
remained  until  the  2/th,  suffering  greatly  from  intense  heat. 
The  sun  poured  down  its  rays  in  a  blistering  flood  which  was 
terrible/ and  several  of  the  boys  were  prostrated.  Water  was 
very  scarce  and  we  all  suffered  from  thirst. 

On  the  27th  we  moved  to  the  front  again  and  worked  at  our 
usual  occupation,  building  intrenchments.  On  the  2Qth  we 
moved  farther  to  the  right  and  built  more  works.  We  were 
now  between  Jerusalem  Plank  Road  and  the  Weldon  Railroad, 
and  were  there  until  July  4th,  where  there  was  a  large  force  of 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  259 

the  enemy  behind  strong  works,  and  it  was  a  general  shooting 
match  between  the  lines.  In  short,  from  now  on  until  the 
end  of  our  term  of  service,  it  was  a  continued  fight  and  skirm 
ish  every  day.  The  two  lines  had  approached  so  close  to 
each  other  that  as  soon  as  a  head  appeared  above  the  breast 
works  on  either  side  it  became  immediately  the  target  for  hun 
dreds  of  bullets. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

(From  July  4,  1864,  to 'July  30,  1864.) 


SIEGE  OF  PETERSBURG    DEEP  BOTTOM    THE  MINE. 


"In  the  God  of  battles  trust! 
Die  we  may — and  die  we  must; 
But,  oh,  where  can  dust  to  dust 
Be  consigned  so  well. 

As  when  Heaven  its  dews  shall  shed 
On  the  martyred  patriot's  bed, 
And  the  rocks  shall  raise  their  head, 
Of  his  deeds  to  tell?" 

rT"f  HE  Fourth  of  July,  1864,  in  the  entrenchments  around 
Petersburg,  where  two  hostile  armies  confronted  each 
other,  with  picket  posts  in  many  instances,  not  forty  feet 
apart,  passed  in  a  comparatively  quiet  manner.  Occasional 
shots  were  exchanged  between  batteries  in  the  fortifications 
and  sharpshooters  i  nthe  works  but  on  the  whole,  there  was 
scarcely  as  much  powder »burned  as  in  some  of  the  Northern 
cities. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  8th,  the  enemy  discovered  a  large 
working  detail  constructing  a  new  fort  at  the  right  of  our 
division  and  at  once  opened  their  batteries  upon  it,  and  also 
commenced  a  fierce  fusilade  of  musketry  in  our  immediate 
front.  The  regiments  were  formed  behind  the  breastworks 
and  held  in  readiness  to  meet  and  resist  an  assault. 

For  several  weeks  there  had  been  but  little  firing  in  our 
front  and  that  of  a  desultory  nature.  Emboldened  by  the  pre 
vailing  quiet,  regimental  sutlers  and  brigade  purveyors  had 
moved  their  tents  and  stocks  in  trade  into  the  very  front  line 
of  works.  The  unexpected  fusilade  created  a  panic  among 
these  non-combatants,  and  many  of  them  hastily  abandoned 
their  "stores,"  deeming  their  merchandise  of  less  value  than 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  231 

their  precious  lives.  The  soldiers,  notwithstanding  the  severe 
shelling,  and  shower  of  bullets,  availed  themselves  of  the 
opportunity  thus  afforded  and  helped  themselves  from  the 
abandoned  tents  and  made  many  profitable  investments  in 
edibles  and  wearables. 

On  the  nth,  marching  orders  were  received,  as  the  enemy 
was  reported  making  a  demonstration  on  our  left.  We,  how 
ever,  remained  in  position  until  10  p.  m.,  when  we  were  ordered 
to  demolish  and  level  the  works  in  our  front  as  quietly  as  pos 
sible  and  be  in  readiness  for  another  mrach.  The  demolition 
of  the  breastworks  created  another  panic  among  the  sutlers, 
who  disposed  of  their  remaining  stocks  at  "greatly  reduced 
prices"  or  gave  away  goods  to  favorite  customers. 

At  3  o'clock  a.  m.  of  the  I2th,  the  earthworks  were  leveled 
and  the  division  moved  two  or  three  miles  to  the  rear  and 
bivouacked  near  the  Williams  house,  on  the  Jerusalem  Plank 
Road.  A  force  of  cavalry,  with  Barlow's  division  of  the  Sec 
ond  Corps,  made  a  reconnoissance  in  force  in  the  direction  of 
the  Weldon  Railroad,  while  our  division  leveled  another  line 
of  breastworks  which  had  been  thrown  up  by  the  Sixth  Corps. 

On  the  1 3th  we  moved  again  to  the  rear,  and  went  into 
camp.  It  was  rumored  that  the  Second  Corps  had  been  tem 
porarily  detached  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  to  be  held 
in  readiness  to  move  to  the  defenses  of  Washington  as  the 
enemy  was  reported  making  another  demonstration  on  the 
Capitol.  The  Sixth  Corps  had  already  embarked  from  City 
Point. 

At  this  time,  all  that  remained  of  the  glorious  old  Third 
Army  Corps,  now  constituted  the  division  composed  of  three 
brigades,  and  a  portion  of  these  troops  were  new  men  and  new 
regimental  organizations  assigned  to  it  since  the  consolidation 
of  the  army,  and  it  is  a  somewhat  remarkable  and  noticeable 
fact  that  notwithstanding  the  many  changes  necessitated  by 
reorganization,  not  a  single  regiment  of  the  original  Third  was 
ever  transferred  to  any  other  corps. 

Major  General  D.  B.  Birney,  long  commander  of  the  grand 
old  Kearney  division,  having  been  assigned  to  the  command 


262  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

of  the  Tenth  Army  Corps,  issued  his  farewell  address  to  his 
old  command  on  July  22nd.  The  command  of  the  division 
then  devolved  upon  Major  General  Gershon  Mott,  of  New 
Jersey. 

During  our  occupancy  of  the  forts  and  entrenchments  in 
front  of  Petersburg,  fatigue  details  were  furnished  every  sec 
ond  day  for  the  construction  of  "covered  ways"  and  "parallels" 
to  the  fortifications  on  the  front  line.  They  were  constructed 
in  a  series  of  "zigzags,"  twelve  feet  in  width  and  four  feet  deep 
with  the  earth  all  thrown  out  on  the  side  nearest  the  enemy, 
making  an  additional  wall  of  earth  four  feet  in  height.  It  was 
thus  necessary  to  traverse  a  distance  of  two  or  three  miles  to 
reach  a  position  quarter  or  half  a  mile  from  the  starting  point 
in  a  bee  line. 

On  the  morning  of  the  26th,  orders  were  received  to  march 
at  4  p.  m.  This  day  was  spent  in  issuing  rations  and  making 
preparations  for  a  move.  At  5  o'clock  the  division  was  en 
route  in  the  direction  of  City  Point,  and  the  boys  became 
enthusiastic  over  the  prospect  of  a  trip  on  the  historic  Potomac 
and  a  visit  to  the  Nation's  Capitol.  These  pleasant  anticipa 
tions  were  summarily  shattered  when  at  Point  of  Rocks  we 
crossed  the  Appomattox  on  a  pantoon  bridge,  and  at  2  p.  m. 
rested  on  the  banks  of  the  James  River  at  a  point  known  as 
Jones'  Neck.  Soon  after,  the  crossing  of  the  James  was 
effected  on  pontoons  and  a  junction  made  at  Deep  Bottom 
with  a  brigade  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps  of  General  Butler's 
command. 

At  daylight  of  the  27th  the  division  was  massed  in  a  grove 
which  sheltered  it  from  vie  wand  sent  out  skirmishers  to  ascer 
tain  the  position  and  strength  of  the  enemy  in  our  front.  He 
was  discovered  in  a  thick  forest  growth,  strongly  entrenched, 
from  which  position  he  opened  a  disastrous  enfilading  artillery 
fire  upon  our  line,  which  resulted  in  severe  losses  until  silenced 
by  the  left  of  our  skirmish  line.  By  a  brilliant  sortie  of  Bar 
low's  division,  the  guns  were  captured  and  proved  to  be  a 
battery  of  twenty-pound  parrot  guns  which  had  been  captured 
from  Butler's  forces  just  two  months  before  at  Drury's  Bluff. 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  263 

We  remained  in  our  advanced  position  on  picket  during  the 
night  of  the  27th  and  until  dark  of  the  following  day,  when 
we  were  relieved  by  Barlow's  division  and  immdeiately  took 
up  the  line  of  march,  recrossing  the  James  and  moved  rapidly 
in  the  direction  of  our  former  camp.  Ours  was  the  only  divis 
ion  that  recrossed  and  we  made  a  forced  march.  Staff  officers 
from  General  Ord,  to  whom  we  were  ordered  to  report,  were 
continually' urging  the  column  to  "hurry  up,  step  out."  The 
march  was  severe  and  fatiguing  in  the  extreme,  and  when  at 
daylight  of  the  2Qth  we  arrived  near  the  line  of  works,  held  by 
the  Eighteenth  Corps,  but  a  small  proportion  of  the  command 
was  present.  Stragglers  continued  to  arrive  during  the  day, 
while  we  were  massed  under  the  brow  of  a  hill,  out  of  sight  of 
the  enemy's  line. 

After  dark  we  moved  into  the  trenches  in  front  of  the  site 
of  the  Hare  house,  a  locality  not  wholly  unfamiliar  to  our 
division  and  memorable  as  the  scene  of  our  disastrous  and 
unsuccessful  charge  of  June  i8th.  The  spot  was,  however, 
now  scarcely  recognizable,  as  the  works  had  been  considerably 
advanced  and  strengthened  and  all  the  former  landmarks  oblit 
erated. 

To  relieve  the  troops  in  the  trenches  was  a  slow,  delicate 
and  dangerous  undertaking,  owing  to  the  proximity  of  the 
Union  and  Confederate  lines  and  the  necessity  of  silence  on 
our  part.  We  moved  to  the  front  in  single  file,  through  nar 
row-covered  ways  scarcely  two  feet  in  width,  which  were  in 
fact  nothing  more  than  zigzag  ditches.  During  the  time 
occupied  in  relieving  the  troops  we  were  subjected  to  severe 
shelling  and  musketry  fire.  At  midnight  we  were  in  position 
occupying  a  series  of  "bomb-proofs,"  which  were  constructed 
of  huge  logs  covered  with  several  feet  of  earth  as  a  protection 
from  the  artillery  of  the  enemy,  particularly  from  the  cohorn 
and  mortar  batteries  which  dropped  their  missiles  into  our 
lines  behind  the  breastworks  with  unerring  and  most  uncom 
fortable  accuracy. 

We  were  under  arms  before  daylight  of  the  3Oth,  and  anxi 
ously  awaited  the  explosion  of  the  mine  in  our  immediate 


264  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

front.  At  4  o'clock  a.  m.  a  flash,  a  terrific  explosion,  a  volume 
of  red  flame,  mingled  with  a  mass  of  timbers,  earth,  artillery 
wheels  and  human  beings,  like  the  sudden  eruption  of  a  vast 
volcano,  proclaimed  that  Burnside's  mine,  as  far  as  its  location 
and  explosive  effects  were  concerned,  was  a  pronounced  and 
unequivocal  success. 

The  explosion  of  the  mine  was  a  signal  for  the  entire  artil 
lery  along  our  lines  to  open  fire,  siege  guns  and  light  pieces, 
cohorns  and  mortars  fired  by  batteries  and  as  soon  as  he  recov 
ered  from  his  surprise,  were  promptly  answered  by  the  enemy. 

During  the  day,  a  dispatch  from  General  Burnside  to  Gen 
eral  Meade  announced  that  the  enemy  had  left  his  front  and 
acting  upon  this  information  which  he  deemed  reliable,  Meade, 
through  his  corps  commanders,  ordered  an  immediate  general 
advance  along  the  entire  line. 

Our  brigade  and  division  commanders  were,  however,  posi 
tive  that  the  rebels  were  strongly  in  evidence  in  our  front 
and  by  a  series  of  strategical  devices,  demonstrated  the  fallacy 
of  Burnside's  assertion.  The  men  were  instructed  to  raise 
their  caps  upon  bayonets  above  the  works,  and  officers  gave 
orders  in  loud  tones  to  "take  arms,"  fix  bayonets,  charge 
bayonets,  forward,  double  quick,  etc.  As  the  bugles  sounded 
the  advance  and  charge,  the  men  gave  the  "Union  shout,"  indi 
cating  a  charge  which  was  answered  by  such  a  shower  of 
bullets,  shot  and  shell,  as  convinced  the  generals  that  the 
enemy  had  not  evacuated  the  works  in  front. 

The  mine  itself  was  a  grand  success,  but  the  infantry  attack 
following,  which  was  entrusted  to  colored  troops  and  com 
paratively  new  regiments,  was  a  humiliating  and  disastrous 
failure.  It  was  the  consensus  of  opinion,  not  only  in  our 
corps,  but  throughout  the  entire  Army  of  the  Potomac,  that 
had  the  affair  been  entrusted  to  Hancock  with  his  corps  of 
seasoned  veterans,  the  result  would  have  been  entirely  differ 
ent. 

At  dark  we  were  relieved,  and  at  midnight  returned  to  our 
former  camp  in  the  pine  woods,  where  we  were  ordered  to  hold 
ourselves  in  readiness  to  move  at  short  notice. 


CHAPTE-R  XVII. 

(Prom  July  30,  1864,  to  August  25,  1864.) 


THE  TRENCHES  AT  PETERSBURG— SECOND  DEEP   BOTTOM  -  BLOOD 
LESS  DUEL  IN  THE  CORN  PATCH— Music  IN  CAMP. 


'Two  armies  covered  hill  and  plain, 
Where  Rappahannock's  waters 

Ran  deeply  crimsoned  with  the  stain 
Of  battle's  recent  slaughters. 

The  summer  clouds  lay  pitched  like  tents 

In  meads  of  heavenly  azure; 
And  each  dread  gun  of  the  elements 

Slept  in  its  high  embrazure. 

The  breeze  so  softly  blew,  it  made 

No  forest  leaf  to  quiver; 
And  the  smoke  of  the  random  cannonade 

Rolled  slowly  from  the  river. 

And  now  when  circling  hills  looked  down 

With  cannon  grimly  planted, 
O'er  listless  camp  and  silent  town 

The  golden  sunset  slanted. 

When  on  the  fervid  air  there  came 
A  strain,  now  rich,  now  tender; 

The  music  seemed  itself  aflame 
With  day's  departing  splendor. 

A  Federal  band,  which  eve  and  morn 
Played  measures  brave  and  nimble, 

Had  just  struck  up  with  flute  and  horn 
And  lively  clash  of  cymbal. 

Down  flocked  the  soldiers  to  the  banks; 

Till,  margined  by  its  pebbles, 
One  wooded  shore  was  blue  with  'Yanks,' 

And  one  was  gray  with  'Rebels.' 

Then  all  was  still;   and  then  the  band 
With  movement  light  and  tricksy, 

Made  stream  and  forest,  hill  and  strand, 
Reverberate  with  'Dixie.' 


266  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

The  conscious  stream,  with  burnished  glow, 

Went  proudly  o'er  its  pebbles, 
But  thrilled  throughout  its  deepest  flow 

With  yelling  of  the  Rebels. 

Again  a  pause;   and  then  again 

The  trumpet  pealed  sonorous, 
And  'Yankee  Doodle'  was  the  strain 

To  which  the  shore  gave  chorus. 

The  laughing  ripples  shoreward  flew 

To  kiss  the  shining  pebbles; 
Loud  shrieked  the  swarming  Boys  in  Blue 

Defiance  to  the  Rebels. 

And  yet  once  more  the  bugle  sang 

Above  the  stormy  riot; 
No  shout  upon  the  evening  rang — 

There  reigned  a  holy  quiet. 

The  sad,  slow  stream  its  noiseless  flood 
Poured  o'er  the  glistening  pebbles; 

And  silent  now  the  Yankees  stood, 
All  silent  stood  the  Rebels. 

No  unresponsive  soul  had  heard 

That  plaintive  note's  appealing, 
So  deeply  'Home,  Sweet  Home'  had  stirred 

The  hidden  founts  of  feeling. 

Or  Blue,  or  Gray,  the  soldier  sees, 

As  by  the  wand  of  fairy, 

•  The  cottage  'neath  the  live  oak  trees, 

The  cabin  by  the  prairie. 

Or  cold,  or  warm,  his  native  skies 
Bend  in  their  beauty  o'er  him; 
»  Seen  through  the  tear-mist  in  his  eyes, 

His  loved  ones  stand  before  him. 

As  fades  the  iris  after  rain, 

In  April's  tearful  weather, 
The  vision  vanished  as  the  strain 

And  'daylight  died  together. 

But  Memory  waked  by  Music's  art 

Expressed  in  simple  num'bers, 
Subdued  the  stoutest  Yankee's  heart, 

Made  light  the  Rebel's  slumbers. 

And  fair  the  form  of  Music  shines — 

The  bright  celestial  creature — 
Who  still  mid  War's  embattled  lines 

Gave  this  one  touch  of  Nature." 

— John  R.   Thompson. 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  267 

"V\7"HEN  there  was  no  firing  on  the  picket  lines  and  no 
artillery  practice,  the  bands  of  both  armies  discoursed 
fine  music,  much  to  the  delight  and  edification  of  the  men, 
who  would  throng  the  parapets  to  listen. 

The  term  of  service  of  the  original  Sixty-third  Regiment 
expired  on  August  I,  1864,  but  the  exigencies  of  the  conflict 
demanded  the  retention  of  the  command  until  September  Qth, 
when  the  old  men  who  had  been  mustered  into  United  States 
service  three  years  before,  were  honorably  discharged  and  the 
recruits,  substitutes,  and  drafted  men  who  joined  the  regiment 
at  subsequent  dates,  and  veterans  who  had  been  re-enlisted, 
were  transferred,  first  to  the  Ninety-ninth  Pennsylvania,  and 
later  to  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Pennsylvania,  with  which 
latter  command  they  had  been  intimately  associated  in 
bivouac,  camp  and  field. 

As  the  time  approached  when  the  men  would  receive  their 
discharge  from  the  service  of  Uncle  Sam,  and  donning  the 
habiliments  of  civilians,  return  once  more  to  the  peaceful 
pursuits  and  avocations  of  private  citizenship,  the  soldiers 
who  had  for  three  long  years  suffered  hardships  and  privations 
and  faced  death  on  many  an  ensanguined  field,  and  "drank 
from  the  same  canteen,"  commenced  to  look  eagerly  forward 
to  the  time  when  they  would  rejoin  their  loved  ones  in  God's 
own  country.  At  first  the  time  was  reckoned  by  months, 
then  weeks,  then  days,  and  as  the  date  of  their  emancipation 
from  military  duty  and  discipline  drew  nearer,  the  boys  began 
to  congratulate  each  other  that  they  would  only  have  so  many 
more  hard-tack  to  devour,  the  number  diminishing  and  care 
fully  calculated  after  each  meal. 

The  time  of  our  enforced  retention  in  service  was  spent 
with  the  division  in  the  intrenchments  before  Petersburg,  and 
in  making  many  reconnoisances,  both  to  the  right  and  left 
of  the  line,  it  appearing  to  the  men  that  Birney's  foot  cavalry 
were  always  called  upon  for  especially  dangerous  duty. 

While  quietly  enjoying  our  twilight  siestas  on  the  evening 
of  August  5th,  orders  were  received  to  "fall  in"  at  once.  We 
were  moved  to  the  front  and  after  proceeding  about  one  mile, 


268  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

returned  to  camp  in  the  reserve.  The  alarm  was  occasioned 
by  an  attempt  of  the  enemy  to  spring  a  mine  under  one  of  the 
forts  in  the  advanced  line.  The  mine  "exploded,"  but  owing 
to  miscalculation  on  the  part  of  the  Confederate  sappers  and 
miners,  the  explosion  occurred  some  fifty  feet  in  front  of  our 
line  and  no  serious  damage  was  sustained,  save  by  the  heavy 
artillery  firing  on  both  sides,  which  the  attempt  provoked. 
The  weather  was  extremely  hot  and  sultry  and  the  flies  were 
even  a  greater  inconvenience  than  the  heat ;  the  air  was  liter 
ally  black  with  them. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  9th,  a  heavy  explosion  was  heard, 
which  was  at  first  supposed  to  be  another  mine,  but  we  sub 
sequently  learned  that  it  was  the  arsenal  at  City  Point,  about 
ten  miles  distant. 

At  noon  of  August  I2th,  marching  orders  were  received  and 
we  were  soon  en  route  for  City  Point  where,  after  an  easy 
march,  we  arrived  at  8  o'clock  p.  m.  As  no  artillery  or  wagons 
accompanied  the  column,  appearances  indicated  that  we  were 
to  embark,  and  a  thousand  rumors  were  afloat  as  to  our  desti 
nation.  The  division  embarked  at  noon  on  August  I3th,  on 
a  number  of  transports  and  steamed  down  the  river  to  Light 
House  Point,  bands  playing  and  division,  brigade  and  regi 
mental  colors  flying.  The  enemy's  scouts  on  the  banks  of 
the  James,  regarded  the  movement  with  apparently  the  same 
degree  of  curiosity  evinced  by  the  men  on  board..  We  were 
under  sealed  orders,  not  even  the  generals  themselves  being 
aware  of  our  destination.  At  10  o'clock  p.  m.  a  steam  tug 
approached  with  orders  to  leave  immediately  for  Deep  Bot 
tom,  up  the  river  again.  Before  daylight  of  the  I4th,  our 
division  disembarked  near  the  pontoon  bridge  and  massed 
near  the  river  banks,  while  a  reconnoisance  was  pushed  to  the 
front  to  develop  the  position  and  strength  of  the  enemy's  force. 
While  we  held  the  line  of  works  erected  by  Gibbon's  division, 
near  the  potteries  during  our  last  visit  to  Deep  Bottom,  the 
skirmishers  were  thrown  well  forward  as  far  as  the  New  Mar 
ket  Road — our  left  resting  on  Four  Mile  Creek.  Skirmish 
firing  was  kept  up  at  intervals  during  the  day  and  our  losses 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  269 

were  comparatively  light.  We  succeeded  in  driving  the  enemy 
into  his  works,  he  using  some  artillery  to  which  our  gun  boats 
in  the  river  replied,  and  soon  silenced  his  batteries.  The  gun 
boats  threw  fifteen-inch  shells,  the  noise  of  which  passing  over 
our  heads,  was  very  peculiar,  resembling  heavily  loaded 
wagons  passing  rapidly  over  a  wooden  bridge.  Their  aim  was 
excellent,  and  their  execution  decidedly  disastrous. 

Our  landing  at  this  point  was  a  complete  surprise  to  the 
enemy,  and  we  captured  a  large  quantity  of  ammunition  and 
a  battery  of  sea-coast  howitzers  which  had  been  placed  in 
position  to  shell  our  gunboats,  but  had  never  been  utilized  for 
that  purpose. 

On  the  1 5th,  skirmishing  continued  all  day.  In  the  after 
noon  we  were  ordered  to  make  a  demonstration  to  divert  the 
attention  of  the  enemy  and  prevent  him  from  sending  troops 
to  his  left,  where  it  was  expected  that  General  Birney  with 
his  Tenth  Corps  would  make  an  attack.  Brigadier  General 
John  B.  Chambliss,  of  the  Confederate  Army,  a  classmate  of 
General  Hancock  at  West  Point,  was  killed  during  the  day 
and  his  body  was  brought  into  our  lines  and  interred  near 
the  potteries  with  the  honors  of  war. 

On  the  following  day  we  were  ordered  to  keep  up  an  inces 
sant  fire  from  the  picket  line  and  harass  the  enemy  at  all 
possible  points.  Heavy  firing  was  heard  all  day  in  Birney's 
front  and  toward  evening  the  Confederates  made  a  determined 
demonstration  in  our  front,  but  were  repulsed. 

On  the  1 7th  it  was  very  quiet  all  day,  the  soldiers  having 
apparently  declared  a  temporary  truce  on  their  own  account. 
A  field  of  corn  between  the  lines  in  our  front  was  bisected 
about  midway  by  a  deep  ditch  which,  by  tacit  agreement,  con 
stituted  the  dividing  line  of  the  belligerents  in  their  ownership 
of  the  coveted  roasting  ears.  It  was  agreed  that  the  soldiers 
of  the  two  armies  should  take  only  what  was  on  their  own 
side  of  the  excavation.  During  the  forenoon,  a  big  Yank  of  our 
division  confronted  an  equally  big  Johnny  Reb  of  a  Florida 
regiment,  on  our  side  of  the  ditch  with  his  arms  full  of  fine 
roasting  ears.  Our  representative,  with  a  due  appreciation 


270  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

of  the  laws  of  "meuiri  and  tuum,"  ordered  Mr.  Reb  to  turn 
over  his  load  to  Uncle  Sam.  A  verbal  duel  between  the  two 
followed,  supplemented  by  a  challenge  from  Mr.  Yank  to 
decide  the  rights  of  the  case  according  to  Marquis  of  Queens- 
bury  rules.  The  challenge  was  accepted,  the  Floridan  threw 
down  his  spoils,  a  ring  was  formed  by  soldiers  of  both  armies 
to  see  "fair  play"  and  the  contestants  proceeded  to  discuss 
the  ownership  of  the  roasting  ears  with  their  fists  after  the 
most  approved  rules  of  the  prize  ring.  Owing  to  superior 
strength  and  skill,  our  man  was  declared  the  victor.  Johnny 
Reb  gracefully  acknowledged  the  "corn"  and  leaving  it  on  the 
ground,  retired  to  his  own  lines  amid  the  cheers  of  the  specta 
tors.  Not  an  angry  word  was  spoken  on  either  side,  and  the 
combatants  shook  hands  when  the  victory  was  won.  Similar 
contests  were  not  infrequent  during  this  most  peculiar  fra 
tricidal  war  that  was  ever  maintained  between  soldiers  of  the 
same  nationality. 

We  were  relieved  on  the  evening  of  August  i8th,  and  cross 
ing  the  James  on  a  pontoon  at  Deep  Bottom,  and  the  Appo- 
mattox  at  Point  of  Rocks,  marched  in  the  direction  of  Peters 
burg  all  night,  arriving  at  daylight  of  the  iQth,  near  the  Dunn 
house.  After  an  hour  for  breakfast,  we  relieved  General  Pot 
ter's  division  of  the  Ninth  Corps  in  the  trenches.  The 
opposing  lines  at  this  point  were  not  more  than  two  hundred 
yards  apart,  and  the  advanced  pickets  were  within  easy  speak 
ing  distance.  There  had  been  no  picket  or  musketry  firing  in 
this  front  for  the  past  six  weeks,  and  although  intercourse 
with  the  enemy  was  strictly  forbidden,  the  men  were  on  the 
most  friendly  terms,  amicably  conversing  and  exchanging 
such  commodities  as  coffee,  sugar,  tobacco,  corn  meal  and 
newspapers. 

It  was  a  singular  sight  to  see  the  soldiers  of  two  great 
hostile  armies  walking  about  unconcernedly  within  a  few 
yards  of  each  other,  with  their  bayonets  sticking  in  the 
ground,  bantering  and  joking  together,  exchanging  the  com  - 
pliments  of  the  day  and  even  saluting  officers  of  the  opposing 
forces  with  as  much  ceremony,  decorum  and  respect,  as  they 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  271 

did  their  own.  The  keenest  sense  of  honor  existed  among  the 
enlisted  men  of  each  side.  It  was  no  uncommon  sight,  when 
visiting  the  picket  posts,  to  see  an  equal  number  of  "gray- 
backs  and  bluebellies"  as  they  facetiously  termed  each  other, 
enjoying  a  social  game  of  euchre  or  seven-up  and  sometimes 
the  great  national  game  of  draw  poker,  with  army  rations  and 
sutler's  delicacies  as  the  stakes. 

In  that  portion  of  the  main  works  held  by  us  at  this  point, 
we  were  formed  in  a  thin  line  of  only  one  rank,  to  make  a 
show  of  apparent  force.  The  enemy  shelled  us  almost  inces 
santly  by  day  and  night,  but  his  artillery  practice  did  but  little 
execution,  protected  as  we  were  by  breastworks  and  bomb- 
proofs. 

It  was  evident  at  this  time  that  the  soldiers  of  the  South 
were  rapidly  becoming  disheartened  and  losing  faith  in  the 
ultimate  success  of  their  cause.  Deserters  came  in  along  our 
entire  front  every  evening  and  reported  short  rations  and 
consequent  dissatisfaction  among  the  enlisted  men.  Fin- 
negan's  brigade  of  Mahone's  division,  composed  principally  of 
Florida  troops,  occupied  the  rebel  works  in  our  immediate 
front,  and  the  Finnegan  boys  and  the  Kearney  veterans  had 
become  very  well  acquainted  during  the  numerous  truces  they 
had  voluntarily  made.  So  many  deserters  now  came  in  every 
night  from  the  Florida  command  that  they  became  a  source 
of  considerable  annoyance  to  the  staff  officers  at  brigade  head 
quarters,  who  were  awakened  at  all  hours  of  the  night  to 
receive  them. 

One  of  the  officers,  in  a  spirit  of  fun,  sent  a  polite  note  one 
evening  to  General  Finnegan,  requesting  nim  to  "come  over 
and  take  command  of  his  brigade,  most  of  which  was  appar 
ently  on  our  side  of  the  entrenchments,  or  if  not  convenient  to 
come  personally,  to  have  his  details  report  promptly  before  9 
o'clock  p.  m." 

The  enemy  opened  along  his  line  with  all  his  artillery  at 
2.  o'clock  a.  m.  of  the  2ist,  and  shelled  us  the  remainder  of  the 
night  and  until  noon  of  the  following  day,  when  we  again 
resorted  to  "strategy." 


272  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

Troops  marched  and  countermarched  behind  the  entrench 
ments,  loud  orders  to  imaginary  battalions  and  brigades,  and 
much  activity  shown,  to  give  the  enemy  the  impression  that 
our  lines  were  being  strongly  re-enforced,  until  he  ceased  his 
cannonading  and  quiet  was  once  more  restored.  It  was  dis 
covered  that  he  had  mined  one  of  the  forts  occupied  by  our 
division.  We  countermined  sufficiently  to  locate  the  site  of 
his  operations  and  then  made  such  disposition  as  would  result 
in  the  capture  of  our  assailants  in  case  of  an  attack.  They, 
however,  abandoned  the  mine  soon  after,  whether  on  account 
of  striking  a  vein  of  water  and  quicksand,  or  discovering  our 
intentions,  was  not  ascertained. 

On  the  25th  of  August  an  engagement  took  place  at  Reams' 
Station  in  which  two  divisions  of  the  Second  Corps  suffered 
severely.  The  enemy  captured  sixteen  pieces  of  artillery,  five 
of  which  were  retaken  by  our  corps.  Our  division  was  ordered 
to  the  front  to  re-inforce  Hancock,  but  arrived  too  late  to 
participate  in  the  fight.  During  our  occupancy  of  this  line, 
one-third  of  each  command  was  kept  awake,  under  arms,  and 
on  the  alert  at  all  times,  expecting  a  mine  explosion  or  assault 
at  any  moment. 

The  line  of  entrenchments  occupied  by  our  division  from  the 
I9th  of  August,  1864,  until  the  "muster  out"  of  the  original 
Sixty-third,  on  September  9th,  extended  from  the  Jerusalem 
Plank  Road  on  the  left  to  the  line  of  the  City  Point  and  Peters 
burg  Railroad  on  the  right,  a  distance  of  about  one  mile, 
including  "Fort  Hell,"  as  it  was  generally  and  familiarly 
knowrn  in  both  armies  and  by  newspaper  correspondents  who 
invariably  used  that  designating  title  instead  of  the  official 
name  of  Fort  Sedgwick. 

This  fort  was  situated  on  the  Jerusalem  Plank  Road  and 
although  an  irregular,  it  was  one  of  the  strongest  fortifications 
on  the  line  and  in  closer  proximity  to  the  enemy's  line  than 
any  of  the  other  forts.  The  rebels,  not  to  be  outdone  by  the 
Yanks  in  appropriate  nomenclature,  designated  their  fort 
directly  opposite  ours,  as  Fort  Damnation,  and  these  are  the 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  273 

names  by  which  the  soldiers  of  both  armies  still  remember 
these  strongholds. 

But  few  even  of  our  own  soldiers  were  or  are  now  aware 
of  the  origin  and  derivation  of  the  name  Fort  Hell,  satisfied 
with  the  not  far-fetched  explanation  that  it  was  so  called 
because  it  was  the  hottest  place  on  the  line,  but  the  true  origin 
of  this  peculiar  and  not  inappropriate  appellation  was  this — 
before  it  had  been  officially  designated  in  orders,  Fort  Sedg- 
wick,  an  ambitious  colonel  commanding  the  brigade  which 
erected  and  first  garrisoned  the  fort,  caused  a  sign  to  be  placed 
at  the  entrance  bearing  his  own  name.  To  avoid  personalities, 
it  may  be  assumed  that  his  name  was  "Smith."  General  Hunt, 
chief  of  artillery  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  while  visiting 
the  front  on  a  tour  of  inspection,  noticed  the  sign  and  reining 
up  his  steed,  read  the  imposing  inscription,  and  exclaimed  with 
an  impetuous  sneer  "Fort  Smith ! — Fort  Hell !"  The  soldiers 
who  overheard  the  brief  soliloquoy,  adopted  the  appellation 
thus  bestowed  and  thereafter,  save  in  official  documents,  Fort 
Sedgwick  was  known  in  the  army  only  as  Fort  Hell. 

During  our  occupancy  of  this  line,  we  were  shelled  vigor 
ously  by  the  enemy  day  and  night,  and  during  the  evenings  we 
were  frequently  favored  with  brilliant  pyrotechnic  displays  by 
the  mortar  batteries  of  both  armies.  Their  shells,  in  their 
passage  through  the  air,  describing  luminous  curves,  resem 
bled  rockets  and  the  men  would  frequently  leave  the  "gopher 
holes"  as  the  bomb  proofs  were  humorously  designated,  even 
at  the  risk  of  their  lives,  to  watch  the  display  of  the  fireworks, 
tracing  their  fiery  paths  through  the  darkness  of  the  summer 
nights. 

August  i,  1864,  was  the  third  anniversary  of  our  muster  into 
the  service  of  the  United  States.  On  each  recurring  anni 
versary  of  that  day,  even  to  the  present  time,  the  soldiers  of 
the  Sixty-third  recall  the  lines  of  the  following  touching  poem 
by  Charles  G.  Halpine,  read  at  a  reunion  of  his  own  command 
a  few  years  ago : 


274  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 


THE  THOUSAND  AND  THIRTY-SEVEN. 

Three  years  ago  today 

We  raised  our  hands  to  Heaven 
And  on  the  roll  of  muster 

Our  names  were  thirty-seven; 
There  was  just  a  thousand  bayonets, 

And  the  swords  were  thirty-seven, 
As  we  took  the  oath  of  office 

With  our  right  hands  raised  to  Heaven. 

Oh,  'twas  a  gallant  day, 

In  memory  still  adored, 
That  day  of  our  sun-bright  nuptials 

With  the  musket  and  the  sword! 
Shrill  rang  the  fifes,  the  bugles  blared, 

And   beneath   a   cloudless   Heaven, 
Twinkled  a  thousand  bayonets, 

And  the  swords  were  thirty-seven. 

Of  the  thousand  stalwart  bayonets 

Two  hundred  march  today; 
Hundreds   lie   in   Virginia  swamps, 

And  hundreds  in  Maryland  clay; 
And  other  hundreds,  less  happy,   drag 

Their  shattered  limbs  around, 
And  envy  the  deep,  long,  blessed  sleep 

Of  the  battlefield's  holy  ground. 

For  the  swords — one  night,  a  week  ago, 

The  remnant,  just  eleven, 
Gathered  around  a  banqueting  board 

With  seats  for  thirty-seven; 
There  were   two  limped  in  on  crutches, 

And  two  had  each  but  a  hand 
To  pour  the  wine  and  raise  the  cup 

As  we  toasted  "'Our  Flag  and  Land!" 

And  the  room  seemed  filled  with  whispers, 

As  we  looked  at  the  vacant  seats, 
And,  with  choking  throats,  we  pushed  aside 

The  rich  but  untasted  meats; 
Then  in  silence  we  brimmed  our  glasses, 

And  we  rose  up — just  eleven — 
And  bowed  as  we  drank  to  the  loved  and  the  dead 

Who  had  made  us  thirty-seven! 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

(Prom  August  26,  1864,  to  September  9,  1864.) 


IN  THE  TRENCHES— EXPIRATION  OF  TERM  OF  SERVICE— CONSOLIDATION 
WITH  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTH  PENNSYLVANIA  VOLUNTEERS— RE 
TURN  OF  THE  SHATTERED  COLUMNS 


WHEN  THE  REGIMENT  CAME  BACK. 

All  the  uniforms  were  blue,  all  the  swords  were  bright  and  new, 

When  the  regiment  went  marching  down  the  street, 
All  the  men  were  hale  an'd  strong  as  they  proudly  moved  along, 

Through  the  cheers  that  drowned  the  music  of  their  feet. 
Oh,  the  music  of  the  feet  keeping  time  to  drums  that  beat, 

Oh,  the  splendor  and  the  glitter  of  the  sight, 
As  with  swords  and  rifles  new  and  in  uniforms  of  blue. 

The  regiment  went  marching  to  the  fight. 

When  the  regiment  came  back,  all  the  guns  and  swords  were  black 

And  the  uniforms  had  faded  out  to  gray. 
An'd  the  faces  of  the  men  who  marched  through  that  street  again 

Seemed  like  faces  of  the  dead  who  lose  their  way. 
For  the  dead  who  lose  their  way  cannot  look  more  wan  and  gray 

Oh,  the  sorrow  and  the  pity  of  the  sight, 
Oh,  the  weary  lagging  feet,  out  of  step  with  drums  that  beat, 

As  the  regiment  comes  marching  from  the  fight. 

—Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox. 

THE  evening  of  September  4th,  official  notice  was 
received  of  the  capture  of  Atlanta  by  General  Sherman. 
A  national  salute  of  thirty-six  shotted  guns  was  fired  at  mid 
night  in  honor  of  the  victory,  by  every  battery  bearing  on 
the  enemy's  works.  The  "Jormmes"  were  much  surprised 
and  alarmed  at  being  so  unceremoniously  aroused  at  the 
witching  hour  of  night,  and  regarding  the  unusual  demon 
stration  as  the  prelude  to  an  attack,  replied  briskly  to  our  fire 
from  all  their  batteries  and  cohorns.  The  noise  in  the  dead 
hour  of  the  night  was  terrific  and  the  sight  one  of  grandeur. 
The  air  was  literally  filled  with  the  flash  of  heavy  and  light 


276  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

artillery  on   either  side,   and  bombs,   whose  fiery  trails  were 
truly  and  grandly  sublime. 

The  time  for  our  discharge  from  the  service  of  the  United 
States  had  now  arrived,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty-two 
enlisted  men  and  two  officers  of  the  Sixty-third  whose  terms 
had  not  expired,  and  those  veterans  who  had  re-enlisted,  were 
transferred  to  the  Ninety-ninth  Pennsylvania  Regiment. 
These  men,  however,  made  a  vigorous  protest  and  the  follow 
ing  appeal,  which  was  signed  by  every  re-enlisted  man  of  the 
Sixty-third,  was  forwarded  to  the  War  Department  at  Wash 
ington  : 

"Headquarters  Sixty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers, 

August  11,  1864. 

Sir: — The  undersigned,  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  of 
the  Sixty-third  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  respectfully  beg 
leave  to  submit  the  following  statement  for  your  consideration: 

As  will  be  seen  by  the  enclosed  order,  the  term  of  service  of  seven 
companies  of  this  regiment  has  expired  and  we,  (the  veterans  and 
recruits)  who  are  left,  are  ordered  for  field  service  to  the  Ninety- 
ninth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

We  know  that  a  strong  effort  has  been,  and  is  still  being  made,  to 
have  the  consolidation  a  permanent  one,  and  it  is  against  this  that 
we  appeal. 

The  Sixty-third  and  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Pennsylvania 
Regiments  were  organized  in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  fall 
of  1861,  in  the  same  camp  and  at  the  same  time.  We  came  to  Wash 
ington  City  and  were  very  soon  brigaded  together  in  the  brigade 
commanded  by  the  late  Brigadier  General  C.  D.  Jameson.  Since  that 
time  we  have  never  been  separated  for  a  single  ;day.  Qur  histories 
are  identical,  having  always  fought  side  by  side  in  the  numerous 
battles  in  which  we  have  been  engaged.  We  have  many  friends  and 
relatives  there,  and  feel  that  our  assignment  to  that  regiment  would 
be  conducive  to  the  best  interests  of  the  service.  The  'One  Hundred 
and  Fifth  is  a  veteran  organization  and  it  is  our  earnest  wish  that 
we  be  transferred  to  that  regiment.  On  the  other  hand,  we  beg  leave, 
most  respectfully,  to  protest  against  our  being  transferred  to  the 
Ninety-ninth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  It  is  from  the  eastern  por 
tion  of  the  State,  while  we  are  from  the  western.  There  is  nothing 
to  identify  us  with  them.  Our  relations  with  one  another  have 
always  been  other  than  friendly,  and  we  feel  that  any  credit  that  we 
might  be  entitled  to  in  the  future,  would  be  accredited  to  a  portion 
of  the  State  other  than  our  own,  thereby  depriving  our  friends  at 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  277 

home  of  the  credit  or  discredit  of  our  actions  in  the  future.  We  feel 
that  this  is  unjust  and  that  the  majority  of  us,  having  served  faith 
fully  and  honestly,  for  a  period  of  three  years,  and  having  re-enlisted 
for  a  new  term,  that  our  feelings  and  interests,  as  well  as  those  of 
our  friends  at  home,  should,  to  some  degree  at  least,  be  consulted. 

We  would,  therefore,  earnestly  and  urgently  request  that  such 
steps  be  taken  as  will  prevent  the  consummation  of  an  object  that 
will  be  humiliating  to  us;  that  the  order  assigning  us  to  the  Ninety- 
ninth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers  be  revoked  and  that  we  be  assigned 
to  the  regiment  of  our  choice,  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Pennsyl 
vania  Volunteers." 

This  communication  was  favorably  considered  by  the  War 
Department,  and  the  recruits  and  re-enlisted  veterans  of  the 
Sixty-third  were  transferred  to  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  with  which  gallant  organization 
they  served  faithfuly  and  honorably  until  the  surrender  at 
Appamattox  Court  House  on  Sunday,  April  9,  1865. 

The  re-enlisted  men,  who  were  actuated  solely  by  their 
patriotism  to  continue  in  service  after  the  expiration  of  their 
original  terms,  were  also  permitted,  by  general  orders,  to 
attach  to  their  signatures  the  word  "Veteran,"  and  were  mus 
tered  as  Veteran  Volunteers  under  General  Orders  Nos.  191, 
305  and  376,  War  Department,  A.  G.  O. 

Each  one  was  entitled  to  a  "furlough  of  at  least  thirty  days 
in  their  State,  previous  to  expiration  of  original  term."     The 
muster   roll    also   shows    the    following   note:      "Has    bounty • 
$60.00,  and  $13.00  advanced  on  pay  clue." 

The  remainder  of  the  regiment,  after  three  years'  active 
service  in  the  red  front  of  battle,  were  mustered  out  in  the  field 
on  September  9,  1864,  and  the  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT, 
PENNSYLVANIA  VOLUNTEERS,  as  an  organization, 
ceased  to  exist,  having  participated  in  thirty-nine  battles  and 
skirmishes,  as  per  the  following  list  promulgated  by  the  War 
Department : 

1.  Pohick  Church,  March  5,  1862. 

2.  Siege  of  Yorktown,  Va.,  April  3  to  May  4,  1862. 

3.  Peach  Orchard,  April   9,   1862.      Reconnoissance  in  front  of 
Yorktown,  Va. 


278  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

4.  Wynn's  Mills,  April   11,   1862.      Reconnoissance   in  front  of 
Yorktown,  Va. 

5.  Williamsburg,  May  5,  1862. 

6.  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31  and  June  1,  1862. 

7.  Near  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  June  21,   1862. 

8.  Oak  Grove  or  the  Orchard,  June  25,  1862. 

9.  White  Oak  Swamp,  June  29,  1862. 

10.  Glendale     (Charles    City    Cross    Roads,     Nelson's    Farm    or 
Frazier's  Farm)   June  30,  1862. 

11.  Malvern  Hill,  July   1,   1862. 

12.  Kettle  Run  or  First  Bristoe,  August  27,  1862. 

13.  Groveton  or  Second  Bull  Run,  August  29  and  30,  1862. 

14.  Chantilly,  September  1,  1862. 

15.  Fredericksburg,  December  12  to  15,  1862. 

16.  Chancellorsville,  May  1  to  5,  1863. 

17.  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  2  and  3,  1863. 

18.  Wapping  Heights,  July  23,  1863. 

19.  Auburn  Mills,  October  14,  1863. 

20.  McLean's  Ford,  October  15,  1863. 

21.  Kelly's  Ford,  November   7,   1863. 

22.  Jacob's   Ford,   November   8,    1863. 

23.  Mine  Run  Expedition,  November  27  and  28,  1863. 

24.  Reconnoisance  to  James  City,  February  28,  1864. 

25.  Wilderness,  May  5  to  7,  1864. 

26.  Spottsylvania,  May   8  to  21,   1864. 

27.  Brown  House,  May  10,   1864. 

28.  North  Anna,  May  23   and   24,   1864. 

29.  Tolopotomy,  May  31  to  June  1,  1864. 

30.  Cold   Harbor,   June   2    to  5,   1864. 

31.  Barker's  Mills,  June  6  to  12,  1864. 

32.  Before  Petersburg,   June   16,    1864. 

33.  Hare  House,  June   18,  1864. 

34.  Skirmish  of  Davis  Farm,  June  21,  1864. 

35.  Second  Corps  flanked,  morning,  June  22,  1864. 

36.  Heavy  skirmish,  evening,  June  22,  1864. 

37.  Deep  Bottom,  July  27,  1864. 

38.  Heavy  fighting,  July  30,  1864. 

39.  Heavy  skirmish  near  church,  August  14  to  15,  1864.* 


*From    this    date    until    September    9,    1864,    there    was    constant 
picket  firing  and  skirmishing. 

Of  the  1,341  men  enrolled  at  various  times,  883  were  killed, 
wounded  or  missing  in  action,  as  follows : 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  279 

Officers    Men        Total 

Killed    10          106          116 

Wounded    48  571  619 

Captured   or  missing 4  144  148 


Aggregate    62  821          883 

DEATHS. 

Officers  Men  Total 

Killed   in   action 10  106  116 

Died  of  wounds 7  62  69 

Died  of  disease  or  in  prison 1  126  127 

Other  known  or  unknown  causes      .  .  9  9 

18  303  321 

Of  the  original  line  officers  but  two  returned,  the  non-com 
missioned  officers  and  several  of  the  privates  were  their  suc 
cessors,  and  much  of  the  praise  due  to  the  regiment  in  action 
can  be  attributed  to  this  fact :  One  private  terminated  his 
military  career  in  the  retired  list  of  the  Regular  Army  as  a 
brigadier  general — Joseph  B.  Kiddoo,  a  private  of  Company  F. 
Another  private  of  Company  F,  David  Shields,  subsequently 
rose  to  the  rank  of  captain,  and  served  with  distinction  on  the 
staff  of  General  Hays.  Another  fact  which  seems  a  little  out 
of  the  ordinary  line  of  military  history  was  that  one  quarter 
master  was  killed,  another  wounded.  The  regiment  was 
singularly  fortunate  in  having  Colonel  Hays  as  its  first  com 
mander,  impetuous  and  daring  in  battle,  he  possessed  a  cool, 
clear  brain,  and  with  the  eye  that  took  in  the  situation  at  a 
glance.  Tender  hearted  as  a  child,  yet  rigid  in  discipline. 
With  such  a  commander,  this  regiment,  composed  of  men  who 
loved  their  native  land,  could  not  fail  to  be  effective  in  the  line 
of  duty,  however,  dangerous,  and  stand  steady  under  the 
fiercest  rain  of  shot  and  shell.  All  honor  to  Alexander  Hays, — 
brave,  intrepid,  tried  and  true,  whose  memory  is  a  fragrant  one 
to  every  soldier  of  the  Sixty-third. 

Those  who  had  been  "mustered  out"  and  received  their  final 
discharge  papers,  were  overwhelmed  with  joy,  and  it  is  impos 
sible  to  even  attempt  to  describe  the  sensations  of  the  "boys" 
when  they  were  ordered  to  pack  up  and  start  for  home.  They 
proceeded  down  the  James  River  to  Fortress  Monroe,  thence 


280  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

to  Washington,  and  via  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  to  Pitts 
burgh. 

But  what  changes  had  taken  place  since  they  had  left  the 
city  for  the  front,  and  how  many  of  the  old  regiment  were  left 
of  that  body  of  men  who  had  so  proudly  marched  away  to  war 
on  the  ist  of  August,  1861 !  How  sad  we  were  as  we  recalled 
the  dear  comrades  who  had  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  with 
us  on  the  march,  and  on  the  battlefield,  and  whose  bones  were 
mouldering  on  the  many  battlefields  of  the  South,  and  with 
whom  we  would  never  meet  in  this  life  again.  As  our  little 
remnant  returned  to  our  native  villages,  how  many  sad  faces 
met  us  as  we  greeted  the  weeping  wives,  bereaved  children 
and  friends  whose  loved  ones  we  had  left  behind,  never  to 
rejoin  this  side  of  the  grave ;  comrades  who  had  scaled  their 
patriotism  with  their  life's  blood,  and  had  saved  the  country 
by  giving  their  lives  in  its  defense.  Gazing  at  these  mourning 
friends,  reminded  us  of  the  home-coming  of  a  body  of  soldiers 
from  a  foreign  war: 

"Bells  are  swinging, 
Loudly  ringing, 
Hame  the  soldiers  come, 
Some  are  greeting, 
Some  are  weeping, 
Some   with   joy   are   dumb, 
Whilst  others  stand  ayont  the  wa' 
Wie  grief  their  hearts  maist  bruck  in  twa, 
Whilst  ithers  shout  wi'  frantic  joy, 
They  weep  o'er  friends  that's  gane." 


FINIS. 


PART    II. 


COMPANY    HISTORY 

AND 
ROSTER 


FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS. 


ALEXANDER  HAYS,  Colonel — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861;  pro 
moted  to  Brigadier  General,  September  29,  1862;  to  Brevet  Major 
General,  May  5,  1864.  Wounded  at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va., 
August  29,  1862.  Killed  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864. 
Buried  in  Allegheny  cemetery,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

A.  S.  M.  MORGAN,  Colonel — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861.  Pro 
moted  from  Lieutenant  Colonel,  September  29,  1862.  Severely 
wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Discharged  April  16, 
1863,  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Fair  Oaks. 

WILLIAM  S.  KIRKWOOD,  Colonel — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  from  Captain  Company  B  to  Major,  June  20,  1862; 
to  Lieutenant  Colonel,  September  29,  1862;  to  Colonel,  April 
18,  1863.  Wounded  at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 
Died  June  28,  1863,  of  wounds  received  at  Chancellorsville,  Va., 
May  3,  1863.  Buried  Fairview,  Pa. 

JOHN  A.  DANKS,  Colonel — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Pro 
moted  from  Captain  Company  E  to  Major,  September  29,  1862; 
to  Lieutenant  Colonel,  December  18,  1863;  commissioned  Colonel 
to  date  from  July  1,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  regiment.  Died 
at  Glenfield,  Pa.,  July  26,  1896.  Buried  in  Allegheny,  Pa. 

MAURICE  WALLACE,  Major — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Pro 
moted  from  Captain  Company  H,  August  6,  1861.  Resigned 
June  19,  1862.  Died  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  1899. 

JAMES  F.  RYAN,  Major — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Promoted 
from  Captain  Company  I,  December  19,  1863.  Discharged  April 
1,  1864.  Died  at  McKeesport,  Pa.,  April  19,  1887.  Buried 
there. 

GEORGE  W.  McCULLOUGH,  Major — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  from  Captain  Company  F,  April  5,  1964.  Killed  at 
Battle  of  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  6,  1864.  Buried  National  ceme 
tery,  Arlington,  Va.,  grave  5225. 

GEORGE  P.  CORTS,  Adjutant — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861. 
Resigned  November  12,  1862,  and  appointed  on  staff  of  General 
Alexander  Hays.  Wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862,  and  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  M.  McGRANAHAN,  Adjutant — Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Promoted  from  private  Company  D  to  Sergeant  Major, 
May  12,  1862;  to  Adjutant,  November  12,  1S62.  Died  June  2, 
1863,  of  wounds  received  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863. 

JOHNS  A.  YOUNG,  Adjutant— Mustered  in  October  9,  1861.  Pro 
moted  from  Sergeant  Company  A  to  Sergeant  Major,  June  3, 
1863;  to  Adjutant,  June  3,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  283 

JAMES  M.  LYSLE,  Quartermaster — Mustered  in  August  9,  1861. 
Promoted  from  Second  Lieutenant  Company  I,  September  1, 
1861.  Killed  near  Pohick  Church,  Va.,  March  5,  1862.  Buried 
McKeesport,  Pa. 

WILLIAM  N.  HAYMAKER,  Quartermaster — Mustered  in  August   1, 

1861.  Promoted  from  Second  Lieutenant  Company  A,  March  5, 

1862.  Wounded  at   Fair  Oaks,  Va.,   May   31,    1862.      Mustered 
out  with  regiment.     Died  at  Turtle  Creek,  Pa.,  March  13,  1904. 
Buried  Cross  Roads  cemetery,  Monroeville,  Pa. 

JOHN  T.  CRAWFORD,  Surgeon — Mustered  in  1861.  Promoted  to 
Brigade  Surgeon,  October  7,  1861.  Died  since  the  war. 

W.  H.  WORTHINGTON,  Surgeon— Mustered  in  October  14,  1861. 
Transferred  to  Ninety-ninth  Regiment  Pennsylvania. Volunteers, 
February  17,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  K.  RODGERS,  Surgeon — Mustered  in  September  18,  1861. 
Transferred  to  Ninety-ninth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers,  February  17,  1862.  Discharged  July  26,  1862.  Died 
since  the  war. 

Z.  RING  JONES,  Surgeon— Mustered  in  June  22,  1861.  Promoted 
from  Assistant  Surgeon  Thirty-fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers,  August  20,  1862.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 
Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  A.   McFADDEN,  Assistant  Surgeon — Mustered  in  August   1, 

1861.  Resigned  June  17,  1862.     Died  since  the  war. 

NOBLE   C.    McMORRIS,  Assistant   Surgeon — Mustered   in   August   2, 

1862.  Mustered  out  with  regiment.     Died  at  Duncannon,  Pa., 
1904. 

GERALD  D.  O'FARRELL,  Assistant  Surgeon— Mustered  in  March 
14,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  regiment.  Died  Philadelphia, 
Pa.,  "March  27,  1902. 

JAMES  JUNIUS  MARKS,  Chaplain — Mustered  in  August  26,  1861. 
Resigned  December  20,  1862.  Died  Laguna  Beach,  Cal.,  August 
10,  1899. 

ROBERT  M.  MORTON,  Sergeant  Major — Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Promoted  from  private,  Company  B,  July  3,  1863.  Mus 
tered  out  with  regiment. 

CHARLES  W.   McHENRY,  Sergeant  Major — Mustered  in  August   1, 

1861.  Promoted    to    Captain    Company    G,    August    20,    1861. 
Discharged    November    13,    1862.       Died    at    Janesville,    Wis., 
February  9,  1874,  and  buried  there. 

SOLOMON  KLINE,  Sergeant  Major — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  First  Lieutenant  Company  D,  May  15,  1862.  Dis 
charged  July  26,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  P.  HUNKER,  Quartermaster  Sergeant — Mustered  in 
August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to  First  Lieutenant  Company  A, 
July  26,  1862;  to  Captain, 'May  4,  1863.  Wounded  three  times. 
Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  at  Clermont,  Pa.,  May  2, 
1906. 

WILLIAM  ATWATER,  Quartermaster  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August 
18,  1861.  Promoted  from  private,  Company  I,  September  1, 

1862.  Died   since   the   war. 


284  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

JACOB  LONEBAUGH,  Commissary  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August 
1,  1861.  Promoted  from  private,  Company  B.  Veteran  volun 
teer.  Transferred  to  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Penn 
sylvania  Volunteers.  Died  August  12,  1899. 

CHARLES  D.  SCHRIEVES,  Hospital  Steward — Mustered  in  December 
16,  1861.  Transferred  to  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JOHN  HOWENSTINE,  Principal  Musician— Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Promoted  from  musician,  Company  E.  Die'd  at  Pitts 
burgh,  Pa.,  since  the  war. 

J.  REESE  PARKER,  Principal  Musician — Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Mustered  out  with  regiment. 

JOSEPH  LICHENBERGER,  Principal  Musician — Mustered  in  August 
1,  1861,  as  private.  Promoted  from  musician,  Company  F; 
and  to  Brigade  Bugler,  1862;  to  Division  Bugler,  1863;  veteran 
volunteer.  Transferred  to  non-commissioned  field  and  staff  as 
Fife  Major,  August  1,  1864.  Died  in  Clarion  county,  Pa.,  May 
18,  1875. 

WILLIAM  CLOWES,  Hospital  Steward — Mustered  in  September  9, 
1861.  Promoted  to  Hospital  Steward,  Sixty-first  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  March  31,  1862. 

WILLIAM  H.  MONTGOMERY,  Drum  Major — Mustered  in  August, 
1861.  Discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  August  21,  1862. 
Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  H.  MORROW,  Fife  Major — Promoted  from  Company  A. 
Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  surgeon's  certifi 
cate,  December  26,  1863. 


THE  REGIMENTAL  BAND. 


The  regimental  band  was  recruited  from  New  Brighton,  Steuben- 
ville  and  Pittsburgh,  the  New  Brighton  squad  being  composed  of 
Jacob  and  Ralph  Covert,  Emanuel  and  James  C.  Evans,  Thomas  F. 
and  Jacob  Johnston,  Henry  Noss,  Moses  Umstead,  Myron  Webb  and 
Ferdinand  A.  Winter;  while  from  Steubenville  came  Robert  C.  and 
Benjamin  E.  Hawkins,  Lyman  and  William  Priest,  George  F.  Lyman 
and  George  Stamm;  Pittsburgh  furnishing  Thomas  W.  Baker,  Wil 
liam  Beardsley  and  Robert  Neely. 

The  band  was  organized  in  Camp  Wilkins,  Pittsburgh,  where  they 
only  remained  a  few  days,  proceeding  to  join  the  regiment,  then  in 
Washington,  D.  C.,  where  they  were  mustered  in  August  25,  1861. 

For  some  weeks  they  had  no  instruments,  and  their  time  was  put 
in  drilling  and  arranging  their  music.  Finally  after  many  delays 
the  instruments,  which  had  been  contributed  by  citizens  of  Pitts- 
burg,  arrived  at  Camp  Johnston,  and  the  band  got  down  to  con 
stant  practice,  under  the  leadership  of  Robert  C.  Hawkins,  a  gifted 
musician,  being  quartered  in  the  rear  of  heaquarters,  where  they 
had  their  own  mess  and  cook.  Their  daily  duties  embraced  the 
music  for  guard  mount  in  the  morning,  brigade  drill  in  the  after 
noon,  'and  'dress  parade  in  the  evening.  Occasionally  they  played  for 
entertainments  given  by  the  regiment,  and  at  General  Kearney's  and 
General  Jameson's  headquarters.  Colonel  Hays  and  General  Kearney 
had  little  ear  for  music,  but  both  seemed  fond  of  it,  so  General 
Kearney  on  one  occasion  requested  Colonel  Hays  to  send  his  band 
down  to  headquarters  for  an  evening  concert.  The  colonel  duly 
issued  orders  for  the  band  to  report  at  General  Kearney's  headquar 
ters,  whitfh  at  once  raised  a  howl  of  protest,  the  musicians  stating 
that  their  leader  was  absent,  as  were  several  other  leading  players, 
and  that  they  had  no  drums,  'but  the  colonel  was  firm,  and  they  were 
marched  down  to  General  Kearney.  Such  awful  music  was  seldom 
heard,  but  the  boys  fought  it  out,  having  for  an  audience  in  part 
many  members  of  some  of  the  excellent  bands  of  other  regiments  con 
nected  with  the  division,  who  were  generous  in  their  somewhat 
personal  criticism  of  those  who  were  playing. 

The  next  morning  Colonel  Hays  appeared  before  the  band,  saying, 
"I  thought  you  fellows  said  you  could  not  play  last  night?     Why, 
General    Kearney   was   delighted,    and   said    it    was   the    best    d — 
music  he  had  heard  in  the  army,  and  wants  you  to  go  down  again 


286  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

tonight,"  and  for  about  a  week  the  band,  bad  as  it  was,  repeated 
their  program. 

In  time  of  action  the  members  of  the  band  served  in  connection 
with  the  ambulance  corps,  carrying  off  the  wounded  from  the  field, 
and  assisting  the  surgeons  in  operations,  their  duties  compelling 
them  to  be  under  fire  frequently,  although  none  were  ever  wounded 
or  killed. 

Under  General  Order  No.  151,  issued  by  the  War  Department,  all 
regimental  bands  were  discharged,  and  the  Sixty-third  band  was 
mustered  out  at  Harrison's  Landing,  Va.,  August  9,  1862,  proceeding 
to  Baltimore,  where  they  received  their  pay,  and  thence  returned  to 
their  homes. 


ROSTER. 

ROBERT    C.    HAWKINS,    Leader — Mustered    in    August    25,    1861. 

Mustered  out  with  band,  on  General  Order  151,  August  9,  1862. 

Died  at  Steubenville,  Ohio,  April  3,  1902.     Buried  Union  ceme 
tery  there. 
THOMAS  W.  BAKER — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861.     Mustered  out 

with  band.     Died  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  March  25,  1907. 
WILLIAM  BEARDSLEY — Mustered  in  August  25,   1861.      Mustered 

out  with  band.     Died  since  the  war. 
JACOB  COVERT — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861.     Mustered  out  with 

band,  August  9,  1862. 
RALPH  COVERT — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861.     Mustered  out  with 

band,  August  9,  1862.     Died  since  the  war. 
EMANUEL  EVANS — Mustered   in  August   25,    1861.      Mustered   out 

with  band,  August  9,   1862. 

JAMES   C.    EVANS — Mustered   in   August    25,    1861.      Mustered   out 
•      with  band,  August  9,  1862.     Died  at  Beaver  Falls,  Pa.,  April  4, 

1903.     Buried  Grandview  cemetery  there. 
BENJAMIN  E.  HAWKINS — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861.     Mustered 

out  with  band.     Died  since  the  war. 
JACOB    M.    JOHNSTON — Mustered   in   August    25,    1861.      Musterefi 

out  with  band. 
THOMAS  F.  JOHNSTON — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861.  at  the  age 

of  14  years  2  months,  the  youngest  man  in  the  regiment.     Mus 
tered  out  with  band. 
GEORGE  F.  LYMAN — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861.     Mustered  out 

with  band. 
ROBERT    NEELY — Mustered    in    August    25,    1861.      Mustered    out 

with   band.      Died  since   the  war. 

HENRY  NOSS — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
band.  Re-enlisted  June  27,  1863,  in  Fifty-sixth  Pennsylvania 
Militia.  Discharged  August  13,  1863.  Re-enlisted  September  8, 
1864,  in  Fifth  Pennsylvania  Heavy  Artillery.  Discharged  June 
13,  1865. 

LYMAN  PRIEST — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  band.  Re-enlisted. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD   REGIMENT  287 

WILLIAM  T.  PRIEST — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  band. 

GEORGE  STAMM — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  band.  Re-enlisted  in  Seventy-fourth  Regiment,  Pennsyl 
vania  Volunteers;  discharged  August  9,  1865. 

MOSES  UMSTBAD — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  band.  Died  since  the  war. 

MYRON  S.  WEBB — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  band. 

FERDINAND  A.  WINTER — Mustered  in  August  25,  1861.  Mus 
tered  out  with  band. 


HISTORY  OF  COMPANY  A. 


In  the  spring  of  1861,  when  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  en,  and  a  call 
made  for  seventy-five  thousand  men  for  three  months,  a  number  of 
the  citizens  of  Braddock  organized  a  company,  but  were  too  late  to 
be  accepted,  the  quota  having  already  been  raised. 

The  company  then  became  a  "home-guard"  company  and  drilled 
regularly,  thus  holding  themselves  in  readiness  if  another  call 
should  be  made. 

After  the  First  Battle  of  Bull  Run,  when  the  President  issued  his 
next  call  for  men  to  serve  for  three  years,  a  portion  of  the  Braddock 
company  went  to  White  Ash,  where  they  were  joined  by  a  number 
of  others,  and  a  full  company  was  raised. 

About  August  1st  they  went  to  Pittsburgh  and  were  placed  in 
Camp  Wilkins,  formerly  the  old  fair  grounds.  They  now  became 
Company  A,  Sixty-third  regiment. 

On  August  26,  1861,  the  company,  with  a  number  of  others,  left 
Pittsburgh  and  went  to  Washington,  D.  C.  They  went  into  camp 
at  what  was  known  as  "Camp  Sprague." 

On  September  28th  they  crossed  the  Potomac  at  Alexandria,  and 
encamped  on  the  Leesburg  Pike,  at  what  was  called  "Camp 
Shields,"  where  they  remained  until  October  14th,  when  the  regiment 
moved  across  Hunting  Creek  and  encamped  on  the  farm  of  George 
Mason,  on  the  road  leading  from  Alexandria  to  Accotink,  and  near 
Fort  Lyon. 

This  was  known  as  Carnp  Johnston,  and  here  they  remained  until 
March  17,  1862,  when  they  eiubarked  on  transports  at  Alexandria 
and  were  taken  to  Fortress  Monroe,  where  they  landed  and  encamped 
for  a  short  time  at  Hampton,  from  whence  the  Peninsular  campaign 
began. 

It  was  one  of  the  best  companies  in  the  regiment,  and  lost  more 
men  in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners  than  any  company  in  the 
Sixty-third.  Out  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  but  twenty-two 
returned  at  the  end  of  their  three  years'  enlistment,  while  forty- 
eight  re-enlisted  and  became  Veteran  Volunteers,  serving  until  the 
Confederacy  went  down  and  the  Cause  of  the  Union  was  triumphant. 
It  participated  in  every  battle  and  skirmish  in  which  the  regiment  was 
engaged  and  occupying  the  point  of  honor  at  the  right  of  the  line, 
its  loss  was  accordingly  great.  The  ^est  of  harmony  always  existed 
between  the  officers  and  men,  and  out  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men, 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  289 

but  four  have  the  mark  of  deserter  charged  against  them,  and  but 
one  of  the  officers  resigned,  while  two  were  dismissed  from  the  ser 
vice.  After  the  transfer  of  the  regiment  to  the  Peninsula,  and  while 
prosecuting  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  the  company  suffered  much  from 
sickness  and  was  engaged  in  the  first  encounter  with  the  rebels  in 
which  Joseph  M.  Thompson  was  killed.  After  the  Battle  of  Williams- 
burg,  Company  A  was  the  first  to  enter  the  town.  The  memorable 
march  up  the  Peninsula  followed,  and  in  the  Battle  of  Fair  Oaks, 
May  31,  1862,  Company  A  lost  very  heavily. 

It  took  an  active  part  in  the  seven  days'  fighting  before  Richmond 
and  suffered  heavy  loss  at  Charles  City  Cross  Roads,  June  30,  1862. 
In  August  of  the  same  year,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  being  ordered 
to  move  to  the  support  of  Pope,  who  was  being  badly  whipped  on 
the  Rappahannock,  Company  A,  at  the  head  of  the  Sixty-third,  left 
the  Peninsula  and  on  the  29th  it  did  effective  work  at  Second  Bull 
Run.  Also  on  September  1st  at  Chantilly,  where  the  brave  Kearney 
fell. 

On  December  12,  1862,  it  was  placed  in  the  front  at  Fredericks- 
burg,  where  it  remained  forty-eight  hours  before  being  relieved. 
Going  into  winter  quarters  near  Falmouth  until  January  20,  1863, 
when  it  took  part  in  the  famous  "stick-in-the-mud"  march  under 
General  Burnside.  On  May  3,  1863,  it  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
bloody  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  and  it  was  there  that  the  brave 
Captain  Smith  lost  his  life.  Smith  was  universally  lamented  by  the 
company.  A  cooler  or  braver  officer  never  led  men  into  battle.  He 
never  shirked  'danger  and  was  a  stranger  to  fear. 

On  June  11,  1863,  they  started  on  the  Gettysburg  campaign, 
and  on  the  morning  of  July  2nd  the  company  was  deployed  as  skirm 
ishers  along  the  Emmettsburg  Pike.  Again,  after  Lee's  retreat  from 
Pennsylvania,  the  company  did  effective  work  as  skirmishers  at 
Wapping  Heights.  At  Culpepper  it  was  reinforced  by  a  number  of 
conscripts.  At  Auburn  Mills  and  Kelly's  Ford  it  was  again  hotly 
engaged,  and  also  participated  in  skirmishes  at  Locust  Grove.  The 
regiment  went  into  winter  quarters  at  Brandy  Station.  The  terrible 
battles  of  the  Wilderness  followed  in  the  early  part  of  May,  1864, 
and  Company  A  sustained  its  well-earned  reputation  for  hard  fight 
ing. 

From  this  point  until  they  arrived  before  Petersburg,  it  may  be 
called  one  continual  fight  until  the  14th  day  of  June,  and  in  all 
these  battles  and  skirmishes  Company  A  took  an  active  part.  While 
lying  in  front  of  Petersburg,  skirmishing  and  fighting  was  of  daily 
occurrence  until  August  1st,  when  the  veterans  and  recruits  having 
been  transferred  to  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  twenty- 
two  men,  the  sole  survivors  left  of  the  immense  company  of  one 


290  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

hundred  and  fifty  men,  were  mustered  out  and  returned  to  their 
homes. 

Company  A  has  the  proud  distinction  of  capturing  the  only  Con 
federate  flag  taken  by  the  Sixty-third  during  the  war,  Sergeant  John 
M.  Kendig  having  captured  the  battle  flag  of  the  Twenty.-eighth 
North  Carolina  Regiment,  at  Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  12,  1864. 

The  company,  when  fully  organized,  consisted  of  the  following 
officers  and  enlisted  men: 

J.  McC.  BERRINGER,  Captain — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  In 
command  of  company  until  July  26,  1862,  when  he  was  dis 
missed  from  service. 

WILLIAM  SMITH,  First  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862.  Promoted  to  Captain 
July  26,  1862,  vice  Berringer.  Killed  at  Chancellorsville  May 
3,  1863. 

WILLIAM  N.  HAYMAKER,  Second  Lieutenant— Mustered  in  August 

1,  1861.     Promoted  to  Quartermaster  March  5,  1862.     Wounded 
at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.     Mustered  out  with  company. 
Died  March  13,  1904,  at  Turtle  Creek,  Pa.     Buried  Cross  Roads 
cemetery,  Monroeville,  Pa. 

A.  O.  LAUFMAN,  First  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Second  Lieutenant  March  5,  1862.  Resigned  July  26, 
1862. 

J.  W.  ADAMS,  Second  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  First  Sergeant  March  5,  1862;  afterwards  became  a 
member  of  the  band.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  Octo 
ber  16,  1906,  at  Braddock,  Pa.  Buried  Versailles  cemetery, 
McKeesport,  Pa. 

SAMUEL  L.  PEDAN,  Third  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  First  Sergeant  July  15,  1862;  to  Second  Lieutenant 
July  26,  1862;  to  First  Lieutenant  July  1,  1863.  Dismissed 
from  service  by  sentence  of  general  court  martial  November  2, 
1863.  Died  since  the  war.  v 

RUDOLPH  J.  MARTI,  Fourth  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Discharged  on  account  of  disability  August  2,  1862.  Died 
October  4,  1900,  at  National  Military  Home,  Ohio,  and  buried 
there. 

JAMES  L.  PAUL,  Fifth  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Corporal  and  to  Sergeant.  Wounded  at  Gettysburg, 
Pa.,  July  2,  1863.  Re-enlisted.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Trans 
ferred  to  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Penn 
sylvania  Volunteers. 

WILLIAM  P.  HUNKER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Quartermaster  Sergeant  November,  1861;  to  First  Lieutenant 
July  26,  1862,  and  to  Captain  May  4,  1863.  Wounded  three 
times.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  Clermont,  Pa.,  May 

2,  1906. 

ISAAC  MILLS,  JR. — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Second  Lieutenant  July  5,  1863,  and  to  First  Lieutenant  March 
1,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  Braddock,  Pa., 
March  4,  1902.  Buried  there. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  291 

JOHNS  A.  YOUNG — Mustered  in  October  9,  1861.  Made  clerk  in 
Brigade  Commissary  October,  1862.  Promoted  to  Sergeant 
Major  June  3,  1863,  and  to  Adjutant  June  3,  1864.  Mustered 
out  with  company. 

JAMES  C.  QUINTER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Corporal  and  Sergeant.  Severely  wounded.  Re-enlisted. 
Veteran  Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  I,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Transferred  to 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  December  20,  1864. 

DANIEL  OSKINS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Fair 
Oaks  May  31,  1862.  Promoted  to  Corporal  December  7,  1862, 
and  to  Sergeant  November  24,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  com 
pany. 

B.  FRANK  SHAFER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Sergeant  March  10,  1862.  Prisoner  from  May  12  to  November 
.30,  1864.  Discharged  for  disability  February  16,  1865. 

GEORGE  M.  GIBSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Sergeant.  Re-enlisted.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Transferred  to 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  at  Braddock,  Pa.,  February  23,  1908. 

ISAAC  McKEAG — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863.  Discharged  for  disability 
November  24,  1863.  Died  after  the  war. 

CORPORALS. 

JOHN    HAYMAKER — Mustered    in    August    1,    1861.      Wounded    at 

Nelson's  farm,  June  30,  1862.     Promoted  to  Corporal  July,  1863. 

Mustered   out   with   company.      Died   Calhoun   county,   W.    Va., 

October,    1901.      Buried  there. 
THOMAS   M.   SHANNON — Mustered   in   August    1,    1861.      Wounded 

at   Second   Bull   Run   and   at   North  Anna  River.      Promoted   to 

Corporal  February  24,  1864.     Mustered  out  with  company. 
AARON  CUBBERT- — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Wounded  at  the 

Wilderness,  May  5,  1864.     Promoted  to  Corporal.     Mustered  out 

with  company. 

JOHN  McCUTCHEON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Fair 
Oaks,  May  31,  1862. 

ROBERT  MURRAY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  the 
Wilderness,  May  5,  1864.  Buried  in  the  National  cemetery  at 
City  Point,  Va.  Grave  2918. 

JOHN  M.  KENDIG — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Sergeant.  Re-enliste>d.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Transferred  to 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Captured  Confederate  battle  flag  of  Twenty-eighth 
North  Carolina  Regiment,  May  12,  1864,  at  Spottsylvania,  Va. 

JAMES  MILLER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  the 
Wilderness,  May  6,  1864. 

CHARLES  A.  McCOSH — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862.  Re-enlisted.  Veteran  Volunteer. 
Transferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Killed  in  fight  at  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
August  28,  1899.  Buried  there. 


292  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

JESSE  MORRIS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral  and  to  Sergeant.  Wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31, 
1862.  Discharged  March  12,  1863,  on  account  of  wounds 
received  at  Fair  Oaks. 

GEORGE  HOERR — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Lost  an  arm  at 
Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863;  arm  amputated  within  Con 
federate  lines.  Discharged  for  disability  January  20,  1864. 

JACOB  R.  LONG — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  for 
disability  December  18,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

MUSICIANS. 

W.  H.  MORROW — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to  Fife 
Major  November,  1861.  Discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate  at 
Point  Lookout  Hospital,  Maryland,  December  26,  1863. 

JOHN  MONTGOMERY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Drum  Major  November,  1861.  Reduced  March,  1862.  Dis 
charged  for  disability  August  21,  1862.  Died  after  the  war. 

ROBERT  Me  WILLIAMS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered 
out  with  company.  Died  1902,  at  Sardis,  Pa. 

PRIVATES. 

J.  M.  ANDERSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  for 
disability  October  8,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  H.  BATES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company. 

MILTON  BARNETT — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

WILLIAM  F.  BITNER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862.  Re-enlisted.  Veteran  Volunteer. 
After  the  war  enlisted  in  the  Regular  Army  and  was  frozen  to 
death  in  Wyoming  Territory,  in  the  winter  of  1871. 

JOHN  BOYLE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Fair 
Oaks,  May  31,  1862,  also  at  Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863. 
Veteran  Volunteer. 

ANDREW  J.  BROWN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate  April  27,  1862.  Drafted  and  returned 
to  company  July  10,  1863.  Deserted  May  7,  1864. 

PATRICK  BURNS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral.  Wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Deserted 
August  13,  1862,  after  right  with  superior  officer. 

DAVID  BURKE Y — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  of  typhoid 
fever  at  Fair  Oaks,  June  24,  1862. 

WILLIAM  C.  BEECHER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  in 
action  May  23,  1864. 

ROBERT    BARR — Mustered    in    -  — .       Missing    at    the 

Wilderness,  May  7,  1864.     Supposed  to  have  been  killed. 

ROBERT  CAMPBELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  the  company. 

GEORGE  COLSTON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran  Volun 
teer.  Transferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  293 

WILLIAM  W.  CLELAND — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered 
out  with  the  company. 

JAMES  CREIGHTON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Paroled  pris 
oner.  Deserted  May,  1863. 

HEZEKIAH  CRAIG — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  of  typhoid 
fever  at  Fair  Oaks,  June  23,  1862. 

SAMUEL  DEITRICK — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  DAVIDSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
the  Orchards,  June  25,  1862.  Discharged  for  disability  Decem 
ber  24,  1862. 

FRANK  DUNBAR — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Fair 
Oaks,  May  31,  1862.  Discharged  for  disability  December  30, 
1862. 

ALPHEUUS  FRY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Deserted  from 
hospital  in  Philadelphia,  December,  1863.  Returned  for  duty 
February  14,  1864.  Wounded  at  North  Anna,  May  23,  1864. 
Absent  wounded  at  muster  out. 

JACOB  FRY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Nelson's 
Farm,  Va.,  June  30,  1862.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

JAMES  FAIR — Mustered  in  August  1,  3861.  Re-enlisted.  Veteran 
Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

DAVID  FREE — Mustered  in  -  — .  Discharged  on  sur 

geon's  certificate,  February  11,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

PETER  GEIGER-— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  June  18, 
1864.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  May  19,  1900,  at 
Suterville,  Pa. 

HENRY  T.  GATERMAN— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  in 
hospital  at  Philadelphia,  August  24,  1862. 

HENRY  GARDNER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  September  13,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

WASHINGTON  GEER— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  February  20,  1863.  Died  since  the 
war. 

LAWTSON  GREEN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  February  17,  1864.  Died  since  the  war. 

MICHAEL  HAYMAKER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Served  as 
clerk  in  Brigade  Quartermaster's  department.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  January  28,  1901,  at  Murraysville,  Pa. 
Buried  Cross  Roads  churchyard,  Monreoville,  Pa. 

ABRAHAM  HEISLEY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Absent  on 
detached  service  at  muster  out. 

JAMES  HARE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran  Volunteer. 
Transferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

SAMUEL  HAMILTON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  September  25,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

CHRISTIAN  HALTZHOUSE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Taken 
prisoner  and  died  in  Andersonville  prison,  September  18,  1864. 
Grave  9123.  « 


294  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

THOMAS  H ADDON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on, 
surgeon's  certificate,  March  28,  1862. 

JAMES  HUTTON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  of  typhoid 
fever  at  Fair  Oaks,  June  7,  1862. 

FRANK  HOFFMAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  December  2,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

MATHIAS  HISSEY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Missing  in  action 
August  29,  1862. 

WILLIAM  W.  HAYS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran  Volun 
teer.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps  December  9,  1863. 
Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  H.  HOLLY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863.  Died  from  effects  of  wound  May 
24,  1863. 

PETER  HAMMIL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Fair 
Oaks,  May  31,  1862.  Deserted  October  20,  1862. 

JONATHAN  JAMISON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862.  Re-enlisted,  Veteran  Volunteer. 
Transferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

THOMAS  KENNEY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  December  21,  1861.  Died  February  14, 
1907,  at  National  Military  Home,  Ohio,  and  buried  there. 

CYRUS  KUNKLE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  February  14,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  J.  LINTON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Fair 
Oaks,  May  31,  1862. 

JOHN  LEHMIRE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  November  8, 
1862.  Buried  Military  Asylum  cemetery,  Washington,  D.  C. 

DAVID  B.  LUDWICK — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Nel 
son's  Farm,  June  30,  1862. 

AARON  LlNDERMAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  Decem 
ber  15,  1863,  of  wounds  received  at  Mine  Run,  Va.,  November 
26,  1863.  Buried  National  cemetery,  Alexandria,  Va.  Grave 
1198. 

NATHANIEL  LOWRY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Fair 
Oaks,  May  31,  1862. 

MATHEW  MITCHELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
November  19,  1861,  by  order  of  Dr.  Crawford.  Died  since  the 
war. 

JAMES  MAXWELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Fair 
Oaks,  May  31,  1862. 

JAMES  MILES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  September  17,  1862. 

THOMAS  A  MILLER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Transferred  to 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps  September  1,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

HENRY  MOFFITT — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
December  12,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  Fair  Oaks,  May  31, 
1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOSEPH  W.  MORRIS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  May  11,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  295 

WILMER  W.  MORRIS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862.  Discharged  November  21,  1862,  on 
account  of  wounds.  Died  Penn  township,  near  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 
January  17,  1908. 

JAMES  McATEE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Second 
Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Transferred 
to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Re-enlisted  in  Eighteenth  Regulars,  and  served 
three  years  in  Texas. 

JAMES  K.  P.  McCULLOUGH — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran 
Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 
IRWIN  McCUTCHEON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran 
Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

WILLIAM    McKELVEY— Mustered    in    August    1,     1861.       Veteran 
Volunteer.     Transferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.     Died  since  the  war. 
SAMUEL  McNSAL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Killed  at  Peters 
burg,  June  22,   1864.      Veteran  Volunteer. 
J.  S.  McFADDEN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Assistant  Surgeon. 

.  Resigned  June  17,  1862.     Died  since  the  war. 
JOHN  McCUNE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Died  in  hospital  at 

Annapolis,   May   6,   1862. 
JOHN  McTAGGERT — Mustered  in  August   1,   1861.      Killed  at  Fair 

Oaks,  May  31,  1862. 

DAVID  PARRY — Mustered  in  August  1,   1861.      Died  of  fever  Feb 
ruary  4,  1863. 
JOHN   A   RYAN — Mustered   in   -  — .      Discharged   on 

surgeon's  certificate,  February  28,  1863.     Died  since  the  war. 
MARTIN  SCOTT — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Captured  .and  sent 
to   Libby    Prison.      Wounded    at    Chancellorsville,    Va.,    May    3, 
1862.     Mustered  out  with  company.     Died  January  23,  1896,  at 
Pittsburgh. 
SAMUEL    H.    STOUT — Mustered    in   August    1,    1861.      Wounded    at 

Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862.     Absent  sick  a,t  muster  out. 
GEORGE  W.  SMITH— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Veteran  Volun 
teer.     Transferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.     Died  since  the  war. 
FREDERICK  SALLADAY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.      Killed  at 

Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862. 
HARRY  SHAEFFER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Died  of  typhoid 

fever  at  Fair  Oaks,  May,  1862. 
FREDERICK  SCHILLING — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.      Killed  at 

Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862. 

JAMES  R.  TROUT— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Fair 
Oaks,  May  31,  1862.  Discharged  October  3,  1863,  on  account 
of  wounds. 

JOSEPH  M.  THOMPSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at 
Yorktown,  April  11,  1862.  First  man  killed  in  the  company. 

W.  DALLAS  TROUT — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Discharged  on 
0  surgeon's  certificate,  October  29,   1862. 


296  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

HENRY  I.  TOMER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Fair 
Oaks,  May  31,  1862.  Discharged  for  disability  September  20, 
1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

SAMUEL  H.  WHITE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died 
since  the  war. 

JOSEPH  WO'LFORD — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran  Volun 
teer.  Transferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JOHN  L.  WARD — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  December  7,  1863. 

LOUIS  A.  WEST — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  December  7,  1863.  Re-enlisted  September  13, 
1864,  in  Fourth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry. 

JOHNSON  WILSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 

WILLIAM  WILSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Discharged  November  25,  1862,  to 
enlist  in  Regular  Army.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOSEPH  YOUNG — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at  Chesepeake 
Hospital,  1862. 

YENNY  YOST — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Disappeared  while  the 
company  lay  at  Fortress  Monroe  and  was  never  heard  of  after 
ward. 

RECRUITS. 

JOHN   BULGER — Mustered   in   February   24,    1864.      Transferred   to 

Company   D,   One   Hundred   and   Fifth   Regiment,   Pennsylvania 

Volunteers.      Died  since  the  war. 
ELI    R.    DOWLER — Mustered    in    August    1,    1862.      Transferred    to 

Signal  Corps. 
JOHN  H.  DEMPSEY — Mustered  in  February  27,  1864.     Wounded  at 

Wilderness,  May  6,  1864;  taken  prisoner  and  died  in  Richmond, 

July  10,   1864. 

FRANCIS  DAVIS — Mustered  in  February  22,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

THOMAS  DAVIS — Mustered  in  February  22,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

SAMUEL  FREE — Mustered  in  February  27,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  HOLLENBECK — Mustered  in  September  30,  1862.  Trans 
ferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Penn 
sylvania  Volunteers. 

ANDREW  MILLER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at 
Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863. 

JAMES  MURPHY — Mustered  in  August  7,  1862.  Transferred  to 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  297 

VV.  J.  McCLELLAND — Mustered  in  February  18,  1864.  Killed  at 
Petersburg,  June  16,  1864. 

SAMUEL  PAINTER — Mustered  in  February  29,  1864.  Died  at 
Andersonville  Prison,  July  17,  1864.  Buried  National  cemetery 
there,  grave  3445. 

ROBERT  SHULL — Mustered  in  August  19,  1862.  Transferred  to 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  ani  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

SAMUEL  K.  SHIPLEY — Mustered  in  September  4,  1863.  Substitute. 
Wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864. 

ROBERT  W.  SCOTT — Mustered  in  February  10,  1864.  Promoted  to 
Corporal.  Wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1862.  Trans 
ferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Penn 
sylvania  Volunteers. 

JOHN  BICKER  TON — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  BECKER — Drafted  September  7,  1863.  Wounded  at  the 
Wilderness,  May  6,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hun 
dred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since 
the  war. 

OLIVER  P.  BO  YD — Drafted  July  11,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  BARR — Mustered  in — .  Missing  at 

Wilderness,  May  7,  1864. 

F.  W.  DIEHL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Taken  prisoner  and 
died  at  Andersonville  Prison,  August  17,  1864.  Buried  National 
cemetery  there.  Grave  6017. 

MATHEW  EAGLESON — Drafted  July  11,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  FLEMING — Transferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

E.  N.  FUNK — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  North  Anna, 
Va.,  May  23,  1864.  Buried  (as  C.  H.  Frank)  National  ceme 
tery,  Fredericksburg,  Va.  Grave  3620. 

JAMES  GRACE Y — Drafted  July  11,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

J.  W.  LEECH — Mustere'd  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  the  WMder- 
ness,  May  6,  1864. 

HENRY  MARQUETTE — Drafted  September  4,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

CORNELIUS  McOOY — Drafted  September  10,  1863.  Wounded  and 
captured  at  Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  12,  1864.  Died  at  Rich 
mond,  Va.,  July  23,  1864. 

HERMAN  SNEAR — Drafted  September  4,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 


298  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

GEORGE  J.  STILES — Drafted  September  4,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

HARVEY  D.  THOMPSON — Drafted  July  15,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

HENRY  B.  WHITE — Drafted  July  11,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

SAMUEL  CABLE — Mustered  in  February  12,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

ALFRED  CABLE — Mustered  in  February  12,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  MORRISON — Wounded  May  6,  1864,  at  Wilderness,  Va. 

R.  H.  GLENN — Mustered  in  February  27,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  HUCK — Mustered  in  February  27,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

DAVID  McGIBBON — Not  on  muster-out  roll. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Killed    20 

Died  from  wounds 6 

vDied  in  rebel  prisons 6 

Died  of  disease 9 

Discharged  on  account  of  wounds  and  disability  32 

Deserted     4 

Re-enlisted  and  transfered  to  other  regiments.  .  48 

Dismissed  from  service 2 

Resigned    1 

Mustered  out  with  company 22 


Total   enrolled 150 

Wounded  in  action.  .  ...    36 


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HISTORY  OF  COMPANY  B. 


Organized  in  the  early  part  of  August,  1861.  It  was  composed  of 
what  was  known  as  the  Collier  Guards,  of  Sharpsburg,  a  military 
organization  which  had  done  considerable  drilling  previous  to  enlist 
ment,  and  a  couple  of  squads  of  men  from  Deer  Creek  and  Fairview, 
under  command  of  Wm.  S.  Kirkwood,  of  the  latter  place.  The  first 
commissioned  officers  were  Captain  Wm.  S.  Kirkwood,  afterward  pro 
moted  to  major,  lieutenant  colonel  and  colonel,  and  who  died  June 
25,  1863,  from  wounds  received  at  Chancellorsv,ille. 

First  lieutenant,  Timothy  L.  Maynard,  a  school  principal,  who  lost 
his  life  at  Kelly's  Ford,  on  November  7,  1863. 

Second  lieutenant,  S.  P.  Taylor,  who  resigned  on  June  5,  1862. 

About  the  middle  of  August  the  company  was  placed  in  Camp 
Wilkins,  the  old  fair  grounds  in  Pittsburgh,  where  it  remained  until 
August  26th,  when,  with  a  number  of  others,  it  left  the  camp  on  a 
beautiful  evening,  marched  -down  Liberty  street,  Pittsburgh,  and 
embarked  on  cars  and,  amid  cheers  of  citizens  and  tearful  farewells 
of  friends  and  relatives,  they  left  home  for  the  front.  The  company 
arrived  at  Washington  on  August  28th  and  camped  a  short  distance 
outside  the  city  limits. 

Their  first  camp  was  known  as  Camp  Sprague.  On  September  28th 
they  crossed  the  Potomac  and,  landing  at  Alexandria,  marched  about 
two  miles  out  the  Leesburg  Pike,  where  they  encamped  at  what  was 
known  as  Camp  Shields. 

On  October  14th  they  again  moved,  going  across  Hunting  Creek  to 
the  farm  of  James  Mason,  on  the  Mount  Vernon  Road,  and  went 
into  winter  quarters  at  Camp  Johnston,  where  they  remained  until 
March  17,  1862,  when  they  embarked  on  transports  for  Fortress 
Monroe,  where  they  began  the  memorable  Peninsula  campaign. 

Company  B  made  for  itself  a  reputation  of  which  it  may  feel 
justly  proud.  Only  two  of  its  officers  resigned  during  its  three  years 
of  service,  and  one  of  them  only  did  so  when  he  found  that  he  was 
unable  any  longer  to  serve  on  account  of  the  severe  wound  he 
received  in  battle,  and  which  had  rendered  him  unfit  for  any  active 
service.  Only  four  men  deserted,  and  two  of  them  were  conscripts. 
The  company  was  celebrated  for  its  good  discipline  and  the  friendly 
feeling  existing  between  the  officers  and  private  soldiers.  Very  sel 
dom  were  the  officers  compelled  to  punish  any  of  the  men  for  dere 
liction  of  duty. 


300  JNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

When  the  company  was  fully  organized,  it  consisted  of  the  follow 
ing  officers  and  enlisted  men: 

WILLIAM  S.  KIRKWOOD,  Captain — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Commanded  the  company  until  June  19,  1862,  when  he  was  pro 
moted  to  Major;  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  on  September  24,  1862, 
and  to  Colonel  April  18,  1863.  Wounded  at  the  Battle  of  Sec 
ond  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862,  and  May  3,  1863,  at  Chancel- 
lorsville,  received  a  fatal  wound.  Taken  to  Alexandria,  Va., 
where  he  died  in  the  hospital  on  June  25,  1863,  and  was  buried 
at  Fairview,  Pa. 

TIMOTHY  L.  MAYNARD,  First  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Promoted  to  Captain  June  19,  1862;  wounded  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  November  7,  1863,  he  received 
wounds  at  the  Battle  of  Kelly's  Ford,  which  terminated  his  life. 
At  the  time  cf  his  death  he  wag  acting  Commissary  of  Subsist 
ence  of  the  First  Brigade,  also  A.  A.  D.  C. 

S.  P.  TAYLOR,  Second  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Resigned  June. 5,  1862. 

JAMES  S.  POWERS,  First  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
First  Sergeant  of  the  company  until  June  3,  1862,  when  he  was 
promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant,  and  on  June  19,  1862,  was  pro 
moted  to  First  Lieutenant.  Severely  wounded  at  Battle  of 
Nelson's  Farm,  June  30,  1862,  and  on  account  of  his  wounds 
was  compelled  to  resign.  Died  since  the  war  at  Turtle  Creek, 
Pennsylvania. 

ROBERT  A.  NESBIT,  Second  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant,  June  19,  1862;  to  First  Lieu 
tenant,  May  19,  1863;  and  to  Captain,  January  3,  1864.  On 
account  of  Captain  Maynard  being  on  staff  and  recruiting  ser 
vice,  the  company  was  under  direct  command  of  Nesbit  from 
June  30,  1862,  until  it  was  mustered  out  of  service,  August  7, 
1864.  Wounded  in  the  breast  at  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness 
May  5,  1864. 

JAMES  HINES,  Third  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Second  Sergeant  June  3,  1862.  Wounded  at  Second 
Battle  of  Bull  Run,  August  31,  1862,  and  discharged  January 
18,  1863,  on  account  of  wounds  received. 

EDWARD  T.  SAINT,  Fourth  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Third  Sergeant  June  3,  1862,  and  to  First  Sergeant 
June  19,  1862.  Severely  wounded  at  Second  Bull  Run,  August 
29,  1862,  and  discharged  October  30,  1862,  on  account  of 
wounds. 

JOHN  S.  STEVENSON,  Fifth  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Fourth  Sergeant,  June  3,  1863;  to  Third  Sergeant, 
June  19,  1862;  to  Second  Sergeant,  August  3,  1862,  and  to 
Second  Lieutenant,  May  19,  1863.  Detailed  as  Brigade 
Ambulance  Officer  by  General  Birney,  February  11,  1864.  Mus 
tered  out  with  regiment.  Died  in  Wilkinsburg  since  the  war. 

DAVID  STRACHAN,  First  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Fifth  Sergeant,  June  4,  1862;  to  Fourth  Sergeant, 
June  19,  1862;  to  First  Sergeant,  August  3,  1862,  and  to  First 
Lieutenant,  March  10,  1864.  Wounded  at  the  Wilderness,  May 
5,  1864,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  died  June  6,  1864;  buried 
in  National  cemetery,  Arlington,  Va.  Grave  5207. 


CAPTAIN  ROBERT  A.   NESBIT,   COMPANY  B. 

Typical  condition  of  uniform  and  equipment  of  a  captain  of 
infantry  commanding  a  company  on  march  in  active  service,  ready 
for  instant  action,  carrying  bed  (roll  blanket),  five  days'  rations  in 
haversack,  coffee  cup,  sword,  revolver,  and  necessary  company  papers. 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  301 

-      ^ 

JOHN  L.  HAYS,  Second  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  First  Corporal,  June  3,  1862;  to  Fifth  Sergeant, 
June  19,  1862;  to  Third  Sergeant,  1863.  Wounded  at  the 
Wilderness  May  5,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

ANDREW  P.  McCLARY,  Third  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Promoted  to  Second  Corporal  June  3,  1862.  Mortally 
wounded  at  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg,  July  2,  1863,  and  buried 
in  National  cemetery  there. 

HUGH    SMITH,    Fourth    Corporal — Mustered    in    August    1,    1861. 
Promoted  to  Third  Corporal  June  3,  1862.    Wounded  at  Chancel- 
lorsville,  Va.,   May  3,   1863.      Discharged  from  service  by  civil 
authority. 

JOHN  WILLIAMS,  Fifth  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Fourth  Corporal,  June  3,  1862;  to  Third  Corporal, 
August  4,  1862,  and  to  Fifth  Sergeant,  December  10,  1862. 
Wounded  at  the  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  McCUTCHBON,  Sixth  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Promoted  to  Fifth  Corporal,  June  3,  1862,  and  to  Fourth 
Corporal,  June  19,  1862.  Discharged  from  service  December 
10,  1862,  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Nelson's  Farm,  June 
30,  1862. 

ANDREW  RIHN,  Seventh  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Sixth  Corporal  June  3,  1862.  Wounded  at  the 
Battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862.  Deserted  from  hospital  in 
Philadelphia  and  dropped  from  roll  'October  20,  1862. 

WILLIAM  J.  DRAHER,  Eighth  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Promoted  to  Seventh  Corporal,  June  3,  1862;  to  Sixth 
Corporal,  Juiue  19,  1862;  to  First  Corporal,  August  10,  1862, 
and  to  Fifth  Sergeant,  June  10,  1864.  Wounded  at  Spottsyl- 
vania,  Va.,  May  10,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died 
at  Allegheny,  Pa.,  March  31,  1902. 

REESE  PARKER,  Musician — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Fife  Major,  January,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  com 
pany.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  HEADGRESS,  Musician— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Discharged  by  surgeon's  certificate  of  disability.  Died  since  the 
war. 

JOHN  M.  GIVEN,  Teamster — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Dis 
charged  on  account  of  disability.  Died  since  the  w>ar. 

PRIVATES. 

ROBERT  C.   BLACK — Mustered  in  August   1,   1861.      Detailed   with 
Regimental  Commissary.     Mustered  out  with  company. 

WILLIAM  T.  BLACK — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Was  wounded. 
Mustered  out  with  company. 

WILLIAM  BAKER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded;  dis 
charged  on  acount  of  wound.  Died  after  the  war. 

DANIEL  BAKER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
account  of  wounds,  September,  1862. 

BENJAMIN  F.  BUTTERFIELD — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Detailed  as  clerk  for  Brigade  Quartermaster.  Mustered  out 
with  company. 


302  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

JOHN  BAIRD — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to  Corporal; 
Veteran  Volunteer;  detailed  as  division  provost  guard  by  special 
order  by  General  Birney;  wounded  at  Nelson's  Farm,  Va.,  June 
30,  1862;  severely  wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863; 
transferred  to  Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

LESLIE  CRANER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran  Volun 
teer;  musician;  transferred  to  Company  B,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

ANTHONY  COLLIER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Detailed  to 
Beam's  Battery,  First  New  Jersey  Artillery,  September  10,  1862, 
by  'order  of  General  Heintzelman.  Wounded  at  Gettysburg, 
Pa.,  July  3,  1863. 

WILLIAM  CLARK — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  Feb 
ruary  18,  1863,  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  the  Second 
Battle  of  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  A.  CAMPBELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
June  16,  1863,  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Chancellors 
ville,  May  3,  1863.  Died  1899. 

DAVID  CAMPBELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
December  6,  1861,  for  disability.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOSEPH  CLOWES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral  March  10,  1862.  Wounded  at  Nelson's  Farm,  Va.,  June 
30,  1862;  mustered  out  with  company. 

SAMUEL  CLOWES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at  Camp 
Johnston,  December  6,  1861,  of  typhoid  fever. 

AMOS  COSS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  1862. 

WILLIAM  COSS — Mustere-d  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  December  28,  1862. 

GEORGE  CLELAND — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Detailed  as 
Brigade  teamster;  mustered  out  with  company. 

GEORGE  DUPHORN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

GEORGE  DUNCAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Fair  O>aks,  May  31,  1862.  Discharged  September  10,  1863,  on 
account  of  wounds. 

JOHN  DOLLHAMMER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Malvern  Hill,  July  1,  1862. 
Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  M.  DRAHER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  Allegheny,  Pa.,  June  28,  1907. 

JOHN  EVANS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to  Corporal 
July  31,  1862;  severely  wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  May  3, 
1863.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

MICHAEL  FERGUSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  gn 
account  of  wounds  received  at  Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862.  Died 
since  the  war. 

SAMUEL  GILL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Missing  at  the  Battle 
of  Nelson's  Farm,  June  30,  1862;  supposed  to  have  been  killed. 

DANIEL  GRUBBS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Lost  an  arm  at 
Gettysburg,  July  2,  1863;  transferred  to  Second  Battalion, 
Invalid  Corps,  December  4,  1863. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  303 

JOSEPH  GRUBBS — Mustered  in*  August  1,  1861.  Detailed  as 
Brigade  blacksmith.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

SAMUEL  HENRY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Appointed  Eighth 
Corporal,  June  3,  1863;  Seventh  Corporal,  June  19,  1862;  after 
wards  promoted  Second  Corporal.  Mustered  out  with  company. 
Died  at  Beaver,  Pa.,  March  11,  1901. 

GEORGE  F.  HOUSE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Color  Sergeant  of  the  Regiment,  May  3,  1863.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  May  5,  1864,  while  carrying  colors.  Mustered  out 
with  company. 

GEORGE  IRWIN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  of  wounds 
received  at  Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863. 

WILLIAM  IRWIN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
the  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

ALFRED  H.  JONES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863;  absent  wounded  at  muster  out. 
Died  May  26,  1907,  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

EVAN  JONES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate. 

ALFRED  F.  JONES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Taken  prisoner 
at  Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863,  and  afterwards  discharged  on 
surgeon's  'Certificate. 

JAMES  M.  JOHNSTON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Detailed  as 
Brigade  saddler;  discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  February 
20,  1862. 

WILLIAM  JESSUP — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  February  19,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

JACOB  KLEINFELTER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
in  1863  on  surgeon's  certificate.  Died  since  the  war. 

CHARLES  KING — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Seventh  Corporal,  September,  1863,  and  to  Sixth  Corporal,  April 
1,  1864.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  B,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died 
since  the  war. 

NICHOLAS  KLEIN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate.  Died  since  the  war. 

PETER  KIEL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Drummer;  discharged 
September,  1862,  by  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  on  account 
of  youth.  Died  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  November  27,  1905.  Composer 
of  "The  Bully  Ol'd  Sixty-third." 

JAMES  C.  KENNEDY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
for  disability  in  1862. 

GOTTLEIB  LUNDERSTATT — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Dis 
charged  by  civil  authority  as  a  minor,  July  3,  1863.  Died  since 
the  'war. 

JOEL  LOVERAGE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  February,  1862. 

HARMAR  D.  LAWSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Corporal  in  1862,  and  reduced  to  the  ranks  November  21,  1863. 
Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  February  10,  1905,  at  Pitts 
burgh. 


304  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

JOHN  LEPEVER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1862.  Promoted  to  Third 
Corporal,  August,  1862;  to  Fifth  Sergeant,  October  9,  1862;  and 
to  Fourth  Sergeant,  December  10,  1862.  Died  1866. 

JACOB  LONABAUGH — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Regimental  Commissary  Sergeant.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Trans 
ferred  to  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  August  12,  1899. 

WILLIAM  LAFEVER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  and 
taken  prisoner  at  Malvern  Hill,  Va.,  July  1,  1862;  afterwards 
discharged  on  account  of  wounds.  Re-enlisted  in  Heavy  Artil 
lery.  Died  August  19,  1904,  at  Livermore,  Pa. 

JAMES  McROBERTS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Taken  prisoner 
at  hospital  at  Savage  Station,  June  30,  1862.  Died  of  fever 
while  a  prisoner  at  Belle  Isle,  near  Richmond,  Va.,  about  Decem 
ber  28,  1862. 

JAMES  McCONNAHA — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran 
Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

BENJAMIN  M1LHEIZLER,  SR. — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Detailed  to  Ambulance  Corps.  Mustered  out  with  company. 
Died  since  the  war. 

BENJAMIN  MILHEIZLER,  JR. — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Wounded  at  Nelson's  Farm,  June  30,  1862;  'discharged  on 
account  of  wounds.  Died  after  his  return. 

RICHARD  McCONNELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Nelson's  Farm,  June  30,  1862. 
Died  since  the  war. 

THOMAS  Me  WILLIAMS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  of 
wounds  received  at  Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862. 

HUGH  McAFEE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate  in  1862. 

EDWARD  E.  McCORKLE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded 
at  Nelson's  Farm,  Va.,  June  30,  1862,  and  at  Gettysburg,  July 
2,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Re-enlisted  in  Company 
D,  Seventy-seventh  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

WILLIAM  H.  McCLARREN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Fifth  Corporal.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died 
since  the  war. 

JAMES  McCLARREN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company. 

ROBERT  McPHERSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  from 
wounds  received  at  Nelson's  Farm,  June  30,  1862. 

JOHN  G.  MAEDER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate. 

JOHN  MEYERS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Severely  wounded 
at  Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863;  transferred  to  Second  Bat 
talion  Invalid  Corps,  December  1,  1863.  Mustered  out  with 
company. 

CHARLES  McDADE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863.  Transferred  to  Second  Battalion 
Invalid  Corps,  December  1,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  company. 
Died  since  the  war. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  305 

HENRY  MOYES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Died  of  fever  while 

a  prisoner  returning  from  Richmond,  August,  1862. 
JOHN    MOYLE — Mustered    in    August    1,    1861.      Appointed    Eighth 

Corporal,  January  8,  1863.     Wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  at  Orange 
Grove,  and  severely  wounded  at  Chancellorsville  from  the  effects 

of  which  he  'died  after  the  war. 
WILSON  McCAULEY — Mustered  in  August  1,   1861.     Died  of  fever 

in  hospital  at  Philadelphia,  August  20,  1862. 
MATTHEW  T.   MURRAY — Mustered  in  August   1,   1861.      Mustered 

out  with  company. 
ROBERT  M.  MORTON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Promoted  to 

Sergeant  Major,  July  3,  1863.     Mustered  out  with  company. 
WILLIAM   McMUNN — Mustered    in   August    1,    1861.      Died    in   hos 
pital    at    Baltimore,    Md.,    from    effects    of    wound    received    at 

Nelson's  Farm,  June  30,  1862. 
WILLIAM   MOONEY — Mustered   in   August    1,    1861.      Mustered   out 

with  company.     Died  since  the  war. 
JAMES  McCUTCHEON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Mustered  out 

with  company. 
JAMES  PORTER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Mustered  out  with 

company.     Died  since  the  war. 

ISAAC  RHODES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Discharged  for  dis 
ability  August  8,   1862.     Died  since  the  war. 
BENJAMIN  RAMSEY — Mustered  in  August  1,   1861.      Lost  an  arm 

in   battle.      Promoted  to  Eighth  Corporal.      Transferred  to  One 

Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
WILLIAM  SPRINGER — Mustered  in  August   1,   1861.      Wounded  at 

Petersburg,  Va.     Mustered  out  with  company. 
JOSEPH    SERGENSON— Mustered    in    August    1,    1861.       Left    the 

company   without   leave   at   the   Battle   of   Fredericksburg,   Va., 

December    14,   1862. 
WILLIAM    SMITH — Mustere'd    in    August    1,    1861.      Died    while    a 

prisoner  at  Savage  Station,  July  10,  1862,  from  wounds  received 

at  Nelson's  Farm,  June  30,   1862. 
JOHN    W.    SMITH — Mustered    in    August    1,    1861.      Transferred    to 

Invalid  Corps  on  account  of  wound.      Mustered  out  with  com 
pany. 
JOHN   SOLES — Mustered   in   August    1,    1861.      Discharged   in    1862 

for  disability.      Died  April   5,   1904,   at  Braddock,   Pa.      Buried 

Versailles   cemetery. 
WILLIAM  TEPFER — Mustered  in  August   1,   1861.      Discharged  on 

account  of  wounds  received  at  Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862.     Died 

since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  D.  THOMPSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Dis 
charged  for  disability,  November  3,  1862.  Died  April  12,  1906, 
at  Pittsburgh. 

JOHN  TRENT — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  account 
of  severe  wounds  received  at  the  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864. 
Veteran  Volunteer.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  TRUBY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Detached  with  Beams 
Battery,  First  New  Jersey  Artillery,  September  10,  1862.  Died 
since  the  war. 


306  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

JOHN  TRAX — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  account 
of  wounds  received  at  Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862.  Died 
since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  TAPPEY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate.  Died  since  the  war. 

PHILIP  THOMAS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Missing  at  the 
Battle  of  Nelson's  Farm,  June  30,  1862.  Supposed  to  have  been 
killed. 

WILLIAM  McCRUM  WILLS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Dis 
charged  for  disability,  February  11,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

CYRUS  WILLS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Severely  wounded 
and  left  on  field  of  Battle  of  Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862. 
Supposed  to  be  dead. 

ROBERT  WILSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  for 
disability,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  WILSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  for 
•disability,  December  10,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

ALEX  WEICHEL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Seventh  Corporal,  July,  1863.  Killed  by  a  shell  at  Gettysburg, 
July  2,  1863.  First  man  killed  in  Sherfy's  Peach  Orchard. 

JOHN  WOLF — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  Died  1899. 

SHADRACH  WILLIAMS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Detailed  as 
Orderly  for  Brigade  Quartermaster.  Mustered  out  with  com 
pany.  Died  since  the  war. 

RECRUITS. 

WILLIAM  A.  SCOTT — Mustered  in  February  24,  1864.  Was  never 
with  company.  Not  on  muster-out  roll. 

ROBERT  J.  McOORKLE — Mustered  in  June  16,  1863.  Discharged 
September  28,  1863,  on  surgeon's  certificate. 

WILLIAM  R.  STEVENSON — Mustered  in  February  16,  1864.  Miss 
ing  at  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness,  May  6,  1864. 

JOSEPH  TITUS — Mustered  in  February  9,  1864.  Missing  in  action 
at  North  Ann  River,  May  23,  1864. 

JAMES  McMULLEN — Mustered  in  February  12,  1864.  Transferred 
to  Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

ANER  B.  HULL — Mustered  in  January  13,  1864.  Died  of  small 
pox  May  18,  1864.  Buried  at  National  cemetery,  Arlington, 
Va.  Grave  10747. 

JOSEPH  LAWHEART — Mustered  in  March  28,  1864.  Absent 
wounded  at  muster  out.  Died  since  the  war. 

BURGHART  GARROUSE — Mustered  in  February  9,  1864.  Died  of 
wounds  received  in  the  Wilderness,  May  6,  1864.  Eleven  minnie 
balls  passing  through  his  body. 

SAMUEL  CABLE — Mustered  in  April  21,  1864. 

ALFRED  CABLE — Mustered  in  April  22,  1864. 

CONSCRIPTS. 

DAVID  ASHTON — Drafted  July  16,  1863;  missing  at  the  Wilder 
ness,  May  7,  1864. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  307 

LEVI  AYERS — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to  One  Hun 
dred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

DANIEL  BAILEY — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Died  of  smallpox  at 
Fredericksburg,  May  15,  1864. 

JOHN  BOGER — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Absent  wounded.  Died 
since  the  war. 

SAMUEL  CASSADY — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Absent  wounded. 
Died  since  the  war. 

ALEX.  G.  DIES — Drafted  July  17,  1863.     Died  since  the  war. 

LEVI  CLAYPOOLE — Drafted  July  17,  1863.  Died  in  Regimental 
hospital,  near  Brandy  Station,  January  1,  1864.  Buried  National 
cemetery,  Culpepper,  Va.  Grave  351. 

JOHN  DARBY — Drafted  July  16,  1863.     Died  since  the  war. 

JACOB  W.  EYMAN — Drafted  July  7,  1863.  Deserted  at  Brandy 
Station,  April  21,  1864. 

CALVIN  ECHINGER — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Absent  wounded  at 
muster  out.  Died  since  the  war. 

DANIEL  GEARHEART — Drafted  July  11,  1863.  Absent  wounded 
at  muster  out.  Died  since  the  war. 

SAMUEL  HINES — Drafted  September  9,  1863.  Absent  wounded 
at  muster  out.  Died  since  the  war. 

ISAAC  HORR — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Absent  wounded  at  muster 
out.  Died  since  the  war. 

DAVID  LANKER — Drafted  September  9,  1863.  Absent  wounded 
at  muster  out.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  MILLIGAN — Drafted  July  18,  1863;  detailed  as  wagon 
guard.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  OLLINGER — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Absent  sick  at 
muster  out.  Died  since  the  war. 

PHILIP  REESMAN — Drafted  July  18,  1863.     Died  since  the  war. 

CORNELIUS  W.  SMALLMAN — Drafted  July  13,  1863.  Died  in  rebel 
prison  at  Andersonville,  October  10,  1864.  Buried  National 
cemetery  there,  grave  No.  10720. 

GEORGE  SHICK — Drafted  September  9,  1863.  Absent  wounded  at 
muster  out. 

JACOB  SHRECKENGOST — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Deserted  from 
hospital  at  York,  Pa.,  June  3,  1864. 

JACKSON  SHRECKENGOST — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Died  since 
the  war. 

HENRY  SHRECENGOST — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Died  of  woun'ds 
received  in  the  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864. 

WILLIAM  STEWART — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Deserted  October  13, 
1863. 


308  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

RECAPITULATION. 

Number    of    officers    and    men    at    formation    of 

company    109 

Number  of  recruits  received 8 

Number  of  conscripts 23 


Total 140 

Killed  in  battle  and  died  of  wounds 25 

Discharged  on  account  of  wounds  and  disability  36 

Died  of  disease 7 

Deserted    4 

Transferred  to  other  regiments,  Veteran  Volun 
teers 18 

Officers  resigned 2 

Discharged  by  civil  authority 2 

Discharged  by  order  of  Secretary  of  War 1 

Absent  sick  and  wounded 11 

Mustered  out  with  company 34 


Total    140 

Wounded  during  service 69 


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HISTORY  OF  COMPANY  C. 


Company  C  was  organized  in  New  Brighton,  Beaver  county,  in 
the  early  part  of  August,  1861.  Afcer  'Completion  of  organization 
the  company  left  New  Brighton  for  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  amidst  a  large 
delegation  of  prominent  citizens;  fathers,  mothers,  brothers,  sisters, 
wives  and  sweethearts  bidding  a  sad  farewell  to  their  loved  ones. 

After  arriving  in  Pittsburgh,  the  company  went  into  camp  at 
Camp  Wilkins.  In  a  short  time  orders  were  received  that  all  the 
men  should  be  sent  to  Washington,  D.  C.  Accordingly,  on  the  26th 
of  August,  two  companies,  under  command  of  Captains  Berringer  and 
Kirkwood,  and  several  squads  temporarily  organized  in  two  addi 
tional  companies,  in  all  about  four  hundred  men,  including  Company 
C,  proceeded  by  rail  to  the  National  Capitol  without  arms,  uniforms, 
or  equipments. 

During  the  early  part  of  September,  1861,  a  sufficient  number  of 
men  had  arrived  in  camp  to  complete  a  regiment,  and  toward  the 
close  of  the  month  were  transferred  to  Washington,  where  they 
joined  the  battalion  which  had  preceded  them.  Their  first  camp  was 
known  as  Camp  Sprague.  On  September  28th  they  crossed  the 
Potomac,  and  landing  at  Alexandria,  Virginia,  marched  about  two 
miles  out  the  Leesburg  Pike,  where  they  encamped  at  what  was 
known  as  Camp  Shields.  On  October  14th  they  again  moved,  going 
across  Hunting  Creek  to  the  farm  of  James  Mason,  on  the  Mount 
Vernon  Road,  and  into  winter  quarters  at  Camp  Johnston.  Prom 
there  they  embarked  on  transports  for  Portress  Monroe,  and  began 
the  memorable  Peninsular  campaign,  followed  with  subsequent  cam 
paigns  to  the  expiration  of  their  term  of  service,  September,  1864. 

When  the  company  was  fully  organized  it  consisted  of  the  follow 
ing  officers  and  enlisted  men: 

JASON  R.  HANNA,  Captain — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Resigned 
June  15,  1862.  After  his  return  he  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant 
Colonel  of  the  Fourteenth  Pennsylvania  Militia.  Died  at  Bland- 
ford,  Mass.,  September  6,  1868.  Buried  at  Westfield,  Mass. 

CHARLES  W.  TAYLOR,  Captain— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  from  Second  Lieutenant  to  Captain,  July  26,  1862.  Dis 
charged  July  26,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  W.  GRAY,  Captain — Mustered  in  September  12,  1861. 
Promoted  from  First  Lieutenant  of  Company  I  to  Captain  Com 
pany  C,  July  26,  1862.  Resigned  November  10,  1862.  Died 
since  the  war. 


310  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

GEORG-E  W.  WEAVER,  Captain — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  First  Sergeant,  March  2,  1862;  to  Second  Lieuten 
ant,  June  16,  1862;  to  Captain,  February  27,  1863.  Mustered 
out  with  company.  Died  since  the  war  at  Vanport,  Pa. 

JOSEPH  A.  SHONLOW,  First  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Resigned  February  12,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  S.  WILSON,  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  from  private  to  Sergeant;  to  First  Lieutenant,  Sep 
tember  1,  1863.  Wounded  at  the  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864. 
Absent,  in  hospital  wounded,  at  muster  out. 

ROBERT  DARRAGH,  First  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  23, 
1861.  Promoted  from  Corporal  to  Sergeant,  March  14,  1862; 
to  First  Lieutenant,  June  16,  1862;  discharged  January  1,  1863. 
Died  since  the  war.  Buried  at  Beaver,  Pa. 

GEORGE  W.  KITTENBUURG,  Second  Lieutenant — Mustered  in 
August  23,  1861.  Promoted  to  First  Sergeant,  February  27, 
1863;  to  Second  Lieutenant,  May  19,  1863.  Mustered  out  with 
the  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

HENRY  KELLY,  First  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  23,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Corporal,  March  12,  1862;  to  Sergeant,  June,  1862; 
to  First  Sergeant,  September  12,  1863.  Wounded  at  the  Wilder 
ness,  May  5,  1864.  Absent  in  hospital  at  muster  out.  Died  in 
Rochester,  Pa.,  May  19,  1902,  and  buried  Irvin's  cemetery  there. 

HENRY  HURST,  First  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  23,  1861. 
Killed  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 

DAVID  H.  GIBSON,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Sergeant,  September  1,  1863.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  Died  May  25,  1900,  at  Marietta,  Ohio. 

HENRY  KITTENBURG,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  23,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Sergeant,  September  1,  1863.  Wounded  at 
Chancellorsville,  Va.,  and  taken  prisoner  May  3,  1863.  Mus 
tered  out  with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

RICHARD  G.  WARDEN,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Re-enlisted.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Wounded  at  the  Wilderness, 
M'ay  6,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Promoted  to  First 
Sergeant,  November  1,  1864;  to  First  Lieutenant,  June  8,  1865. 
Died  since  the  war  at  Brush  Creek,  Pa. 

MILO  M.  BOYLE,  Second  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  23,  1861. 
Killed  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863. 

FRANK  L.  GRAHAM,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  23,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Corporal,  June  16,  1862;  to  Sergeant,  May  9,  1863. 
Died  August  15,  1863,  of  wounds  received  at  Wapping  Heights, 
July  23,  1863.  Buried  Military  Asylum  cemetery,  Washington, 
D.  C.  Grave  4331. 

MATTHEW  SHOPE,  Sergeant— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Colonel,  May  19,  1862;  to  Sergeant,  May  29,  1863. 
Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

DAVID  LESSIG,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  23,  1861.  Wounded 
at  Wapping  Heights,  July  23,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  com 
pany.  Died  at  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  September  23,  1905,  and 
buried  in  Highland  cemetery  there. 

JAMES  R.  TEMPLE,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mus 
tered  out  with  company.  Died  since  the  war  at  Sheffield,  Pa. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  311 

SAMUEL  L.  FRIDIGER,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  23,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Corporal,  May  14,  1862.  Wounded  at  the  Wilder 
ness,  Va.,  May  7,  1864.  Absent  wounded  'at  muster  out. 

SAMUEL  HART,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Corporal,  September  18,  1863.  Wounded  at  Petersburg,  Va., 
June  22,  1864.  Absent  wounded  at  muster  out.  Died  at  Brad- 
dock,  Pa.,  August  14,  1899. 

JOSIAH  KAPPLE,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  23,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Corporal,  September  18,  1863.  Wounded  at  the 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Absent  wounded  at  muster  out 
Died  since  the  war  at  Beaver  Falls,  Pa. 

GEORGE  WARDEN,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Corporal.  Re-enlisted  January  4,  1864.  Wounded  at 
the  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Transferred 
to  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers,  and  to  Veterans'  Reserve  Corps,  December  28,  1864. 
Died  December  2,  1907,  at  National  Military  Home,  Kansas,  and 
buried  there.  Grave  3314,  section,  23,  row  3. 

DANIEL  STONE,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded 
at  Second  Bull  Run,  with  loss  of  leg,  August  29,  1862.  Dis 
charged  on  account  of  wounds.  Died  at  Vanport,  Pa.,  1898. 

JOHN  STONE,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862.  Buried  in  National  ceme 
tery,  Arlington,  Va.,  block  2,  section  E,  row  15,  grave  10,407. 
Was  a  brother  of  Daniel  Stone,  who  lost  his  leg  in  the  same 
battle. 

WILLIAM  H.  PATTERSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died 
July  9,  1862. 

CHARLES  CROSS,  Musician — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Trans 
ferred  to  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Penn 
sylvania  Volunteers.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Died  since  the  war. 

ANDREW  STIDHAM,  Musician — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Transferred  to  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Veteran  Volunteer. 

FRED.  V.  BEISEL,  Musician — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Trans 
ferred  to  Company  D;  date  unknown. 

PRIVATES. 

JOHN  ASHENBAUGH — Drafted  July  17,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

HENRY  ALLEMAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  November  19,  1861.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOSEPH  B.  ALEXANDER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded 
at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Discharged  on  account  of 
wounds,  March  2,  1863. 

ROBERT  ALLISON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  October  20,  1862.  Died  in  1903. 

THOMAS  ANDREW — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  September  25,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  A.  BROWN — Drafted  July  11,  1863.  Wounded  June  16, 
1864,  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va.  Transferred  to  Company  C, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 


312  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

LEVI  BUSH — Drafted  September  7,  1863.     Transferred  to  Company 

C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Died  since  the  war. 

CHAS.  L.  BROOKS — Drafted  September  9,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Discharged  January  21,  1865,  for  wounds  received 
in  action  September  4,  1864.  Died  since  the  war. 

DANIEL  BOOSER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  March  8,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

ESAU  BROAD — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  April  14,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

THOMAS  BROOKS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  July  26,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

LOUIS  BROAD — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  March  25,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  BLISS— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Bull 
Run,  August  29,  186.2,  and  died  of  wounds  September  29, 
1862.  Buried  in  the  Military  Asylum  cemetery,  Washington, 

D.  C.     Grave  1913. 

JOHN  BAMMER — Drafted  September  9,  1863.     Captured  at  Spottsyl- 

vania  Court  House,  May  12,  1864.     Died  since  the  war. 
SAMUEL    BROWN — Mustered    in   August    1,    1861.      Transferred    to 

Veteran    Reserve   Corps,    November    11,    1863.      Died   since    the 

war. 
JAMES    CANNON — Mustered    in    August    23,    1861.      Mustered    out 

with  company.     Died  since  the  war. 
GARRISON    COALE — Mustered    in   August    23,    1861.      Wounded    at 

Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862,  and  at  Chancellorsville,  Va., 

May  3,  1863.     Mustered  out  with  company. 
GEORGE  CASTLER — Mustered  in  August  1,   1861.     Wounded  June 

16,    1864,    in    front    of    Petersburg,    Va.      Absent    wounded    at 

muster  out.     Died  since  the  war. 
WILLIAM    CHILDS — Mustered    in    August    1,    1861.       Woun'ded    at 

Spottsylvania  Court  House,  Va.,  May  12,  1864.     Absent  wounded 

at  muster  out.     Died  at  Vanport,  Beaver  county,  Pa.,  since  the 

war. 
CRAIG  CAMERY — Drafted  July  13,  1863.     Transferred  to  Company 

C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

Died  since  the  war. 
JOHN  C.  CHURCH — Drafted  July  11,  1863.    Transferred  to  Company 

C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

Died  since  the  war. 
LUKE  CHAPMAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Died  October  20, 

1862. 

JOHN  CRAVEN — Mustered  in  August  1,  IS 61.     Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  October  29,  1862.     Died  in  1875. 
SAMUEL  DEPEW — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Mustered  out  with 

company.     Died  since  the  war. 

THOMAS  DIMOND — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  January  22, 
1863. 

HENRY  E.  DAVIS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at  Annapolis, 
Md.,  June  11,  1864. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  313 

RICHARD  T.  DAVIS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  November  7,  1862. 

JOSEPH  DAVIS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  March  18,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  R.  DAY — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company 
C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JAMES  DEVtNNEY — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Captured  June  22, 
1864.  Transferred  to  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  C.  DOUDS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Transferred  to 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  November  11,  1863.  Died  March  21, 
1907,  at  Evans  City,  Pa.,  and  buried  there. 

ANDREW  EICHER— Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Transferred  to  Company  D,  February  26,  1864.  Missing 
in  action  at  Boydton  Plank  Road,  Va.,  October  27,  1864. 

JAMES  EARLEY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  November  19,  1861.  Died  since  the  war. 

ASA  B.  ECOFF — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1863.  Discharged  on  account  of  wounds. 

WILLIAM  H.  FETTER,  Musician — Mustered  in  February  27,  1864. 
Mustered  September  10,  1861,  in  Company  E,  Third  Battalion, 
Eighteenth  U.  S.  Infantry.  Discharged  O'ctober  14,  1863,  at 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  by  reason  of  illness.  Mustered  into  Company 
C,  Sixty-third  Regiment,  February  27,  1864,  and  transferred  to 
Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Wounded  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  June  19, 
1864.  Veteran  Volunteer. 

GEORGE  D.  FUNKHOUSER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Wounded  at  Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862.  Re-enlisted. 
Transferred  to  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers..  Veteran  Volunteer. 

ORIN  A.  FRINK — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Deserted  July  3, 
1862. 

THOMAS    GARNER — Mustered    in   August    1,    1861.      Mustered    out 

with  company.     Killed  on  the  P.  &  L.  E.  R.  R.  in  1896,  and 

buried  in  Irvin's  cemetery,  Rochester,  Pa. 
WILLIAM  GARBENSTINE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Mustered 

out  with  company.     Died  since  the  war. 
GEORGE  W.  GRAHAM— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Absent  sick 

at  muster  out. 

GEORGE  GIBSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862,  with  loss  of  right  leg.  Discharged  on 
account  of  wounds.  Died  in  Pulaski  township,  Beaver  county, 
Pa.,  April  15,  1901.  Buried  Grove  'cemetery,  New  Brighton,  Pa. 

DAVID  A.  GLASS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  Decem 
ber  29,  1862.  Died  at  Richmond,  Indiana,  July  2,  1901,  and 
buried  in  soldier's  lot  there. 

HENRY  HESS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  W.  HUNTER — Mustered  in  August  23,  1861.  Absent  sick 
at  muster  out.  Died  in  St.  Louis  since  the  war. 


314  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

SAMUUEL  HARRISON,  SR. — Joined  July  10,  1863.     Wounded  May 

26,  1864.     Transferred  to  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.     Died  since  the  war. 

MILES  HAYDEN — Mustered  in  February  24,  1864.  Wounded  at 
Fort  Davis,  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  in  1864.  Transferred 
to  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

JOHN  HAGER — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company  C, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Died  since  the  war. 

AMI  HAGER — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company  C, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Died  since  the  war. 

LEE  HILEMAN — Drafted  September  16,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

HENRY  HAMMA — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran  Volunteer. 
Re-enlisted.  Transferred  to  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Wounded  at  Spottsyl- 
vania,  Va.,  May  12,  1864,  and  Boydton  Plank  Road,  Va.,  October 

27,  1864.    .Absent  wounded  at  muster  out. 

WILLIAM  HAMMA — Mustered  in  August  26,  1861.  Veteran  Volun 
teer.  Transferred  to  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Discharged  on  surgeon's  certi 
ficate,  May  29,  1865.  Paroled  prisoner. 

JOSEPH  M.  HOOPES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  in 
action  June  22,  1864,  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va.  Buried  Grove 
cemetery,  New  Brighton,  Pa. 

JAMES  H.  HAYS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 

BENJAMIN  HUGHES — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  November  19,  1861.  Died  since  the 
war. 

DAVID  HAYLES — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  December  13,  1861.  Died  since  the  war. 

SAMUEL  HARRISON,  JR. — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  April  14,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  HUNTER — Mustered  in  August  1,   1861.      Taken  prisoner 

at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.    Paroled  and  exchanged. 

Transferred  to  Company  C,  One  Hundred   and  Fifth  Regiment, 

Pennsylvania   Volunteers.      Missing  in   action   at   Spottsylvania 

Court  House,  Va.,  May   12,   1864. 
JOHN   ISAMAN — Drafted  July   18,    1863.      Transferred   to  Company 

C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

Died  since  the  war. 
PETER    JACOBS — Drafted    September    5,    1863.      Died    December    6, 

1863. 
DAVID  KIDDIE— Drafted  July   11,   1863.      Transferred   to  Company 

C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

Woun'ded  at  North  Anna,  Va.,  May  23,  1864. 
JOHN  C.  F.  KEYS — Drafted  September  8,  1863.     Died  December  6, 

1863.     Buried  in  Military  Asylum  cemetery,  Washington,  D.  C., 

Grave  5263. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  315 

BENJAMIN  F.  KIDD- — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  November  29,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

ALEXANDER  LONG — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Taken  prisoner 
at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  com 
pany.  Died  in  1872  and  buried  in  Grove  cemetery,  New  Brigh 
ton,  Pa. 

WILLIAM  LANNING — Mustered  in  August  23,  1861.  Wounded  at 
the  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  7,  1864.  In  hospital  at  muster  out. 
Died  since  his  return  in  Beaver  Falls,  Pa. 

AUGUSTUS  LO'WRIE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  November  1,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

EDWIN  MARQUIS — Drafted  July  24,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Missing  in  action  September  13,  1864.  Taken  prisoner 
"  and  sent  to  Salsbury  Prison,  North  Carolina,  where  he  died. 

DANIEL  MILLER — Drafted  July  7,   1863.      Died  January  18,   1864. 

CHAS.  W.  MILLER— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  in  action 
June  20,  1864,  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va. 

THOMAS  MITCHELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  August  4,  1863.  Died  in  1868  at  New 
Brighton,  Pa.,  and  is  buried  in  Grove  cemetery. 

HINDS  MARATTA — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  February  5,  1862.  Killed  by  train  in  1873, 
at  New  Brighton,  Pa.  Buried  there. 

JOHN  T.  MILLER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Transferred  to 
United  States  Signal' Corps,  January  12,  1864.  Died  since  the 
war. 

WILLIAM  MERRIMAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Corporal.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  February  10, 
1864.  Died  February  4,  1903,  at  Beaver  Falls,  Pa.;  buried  in 
Grove  cemetery,  New  Brighton,  Pa. 

BAXTER  McDANEL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Charles  City  Cross  Roads,  June  30,  1862.  Mustered  out  with 
company. 

S.  C.  MCLAUGHLIN— Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Sick  at  mus 
ter  out.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOSEPH  NELSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Spottsylvania  Court  House,  Va.,  May  12,  1864.  Mustered  out 
with  company. 

JOHN  R.  OSBORNE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Gettysburg,  July  2,  1863.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Re-enlisted  Jan 
uary  4,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  PRESTON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  December  15,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

CHARLES  RENO — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  Died  at  Rochester,  Pa.,  since  the  war. 

FREDERICK  ROUSE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company. 

ABRAHAM  RIGGLE — Drafted  July  27,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 


316  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

JONAS  C.  MOLTER — Mustered  in  August  29,  1862.  Transferred  to 
the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  November  1,  1864.  Wounded  at 
Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  He  was  51  years  of  age 
when  he  enlisted  and  engaged  in  all  the  battle  with  his  com 
pany  till  his  transfer  to  the  Reserve  Corps.  Died  April  24, 
1885,  and  was  buried  in  Beaver  cemetery,  Beaver,  Pa.  He  had 
three  sons  in  the  service;  Christ  and  Henry,  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Fortieth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  and  Oliver,  of  the  Fifth 
Pennsylvania  Heavy  Artillery. 

SAMUEL  C.  REED — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  February  19,  1862.  Died  since  the  war 
and  is  buried  in  Grove  cemetery,  New  Brighton,  Pa. 

BENJAMIN  F.  REED — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Prisoner  from 
May  12  to  November  30,  1864.  Discharged  December  6,  1864. 

JACOB  SMITH — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company. 

HENRY  SCHIFFENHAUER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded 
May  31,  1862,  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.  Absent  sick  at  muster  out. 
Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  SINNETT — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Spottsylvania  Court  House,  Va.,  May  12,  1864.  Absent  wounded 
at  muster  out.  Died  since  the  war. 

DANIEL  SARVER — Mustered  in  August  22,  1862.  Transferred  to 
Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Wounded  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  June,  1864. 
Absent  wounded  at  muster  out.  Died  August  4,  1888,  at 
National  Military  Home,  Kansas,  and  buried  there. 

DAVID  SHAGLE — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company 
C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Wounded  at  the  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  6,  1864.  Died  since  the 
war. 

EMERY  E.  STITT — Drafted  July  7,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company 
C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  SMITH — Drafted  July  11,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company 
C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  C.  SMITH — Drafted  July  17,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  STOKES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran  Volun 
teer.  Transferred  to  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Captured  in  front  of  Peters 
burg,  Va.,  and  taken  to  Salsbury  Prison,  North  Carolina.  A 
short  time  after  arriving  there  he  contracted  scurvy  in  one  foot 
and  had  to  have  it  amputated.  Sometime  after  he  had  recovered 
from  this  operation  the  disease  attacked  the  other  foot  and  it 
had  to  be  amputated.  He  'died  January  23,  1865.  Buried 
National  cemetery,  Fredericksburg  Va.  Grave  98. 

JOHN  SHUPE — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Died  at  Philadelphia,  July 
16,  1864. 

JOHN  SHULTZ — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  July  15,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  317 

JOHN  SHOOK— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Fair 
Oaks,  May  31,  1862.  Discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  Decem 
ber  27,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

THOMAS  SAMPSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  April  3,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

HUGH  SCOTT — Drafted  July  16,  1863.     Died  December  13,  1863. 

JOHN  STIDHAM — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran  Volunteer. 
Transferred  to  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers;  later  to  Company  D.  Captured  May 
31,  1864.  Discharged  May  19,  1865.  Promoted  to  Corporal. 

MATTHEW  SHAFFER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran 
Volunteer.  While  home  on  veteran's  furlough  he  was  stricken 
with  pneumonia  and  died  March,  1864.  Buried  in  Grove  ceme 
tery,  New  Brighton,  Pa. 

JOHN  THOMPSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  April  3,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  TILL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  March  10,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

CHAS.  VANPELT — Drafted  September  19,  1863.  Killed  at  Spottsyl- 
vania  Court  House,  Va.,  May  12,  1864.  Buried  in  the  Wilder 
ness  cemetery;  removed  to  National  cemetery,  Fredericksburg, 
Virginia. 

JOHN  VOGLE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  in  front  of 
Richmond,  1862.  Taken  prisoner  at  Spottsylvania  Court  House, 
Va.,  May  12,  1864,  and  held  until  November  30,  1864.  Mus 
tered  out  December  6,  1864. 

THOMAS  F.  WILSON — Mustered  in  February  29,  1864.  Transferred 
to  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Taken  prisoner  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  Septem 
ber  10,  1864,  and  held  until  March  12,  1865,  at  Salsbury,  North 
Carolina. 

JOHN  A.  L.  WILSON — Mustered  in  March  25,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  at  City  Point  Hospital,  Va.,  January  24,  1865. 
Buried  in  a  private  burial  ground  at  North  Sewickley  town 
ship,  Beaver  county,  Pa. 

ALEXANDER  WALKER — Drafted  September  9,  1863.  Transferred 
to  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  P.  WILSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  October  20,  1862. 

WILLIAM  WATTESON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  April  3,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  WOODS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Taken  prisoner  at 
Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  Wounded  at  Gettysburg, 
July  2,  1863.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  November 
11,  1863.  Died  at  National  Military  Home,  Ohio,  November  17, 
1903.  Buried  there.  Grave  17,  section  H,  row  19. 

ISA  MURRAY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  at  York- 
town,  Va.,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 


318  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

RECAPITULATION. 

Killed  or  died  of  wounds 14 

Died  of  disease 13 

Discharged,  for  disability 33 

Deserted    1 

Resigned    3 

Transferred  to  other  commands '38 

Mustered  out.  ,  .36 


Total   enrolled 138 

Wounded  in  action 36 


HISTORY  OF  COMPANY  D. 


Company  D  was  recruited  at  the  General  Recruiting  Headquarters, 
Fifth  Avenue,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  August  1,  1861. 

Harry  O.  Ormsbee,  B.  F.  Dunham  and  James  Mclninch,  having 
recruited  its  several  sections,  consolidated  their  respective  interests, 
selecting  Harry  Ormsbee,  Captain,  due  to  his  superior  qualifications 
as  a  drill  master;  B.  F.  Dunham,  First  Lieutenant,  and  James 
Mclninch,  Second  Lieutenant. 

The  history  of  Company  D  is  the  history  of  the  regiment,  but  some 
conspicuous  instances  of  courage  among  even  the  bravest  are  worthy 
of  note. 

William  Thompson,  Third  Sergeant,  promoted  to  First  Sergeant, 
commanded  the  company  during  the  Seven  Days'  Battle,  and  was 
promoted  to  Captaincy  by  Colonel  Alexander  Hays,  to  date  from  June 
26,  1862,  for  conspicuous  bravery  in  the  seven  days'  fight. 

The  number  of  casualties  among  the  commissioned  officers  of  the 
line  often  left  non-commissioned  officers  in  command  at  critical 
periods. 

First  Sergeant  Davis  Glass  commanded  the  company  through  all 
its  battles,  from  the  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864,  until  its  discharge, 
August  1,  1864,  in  front  of  Petersburg. 

ROSTER. 

HENRY  0.  ORMSBEE,  Captain — Mustered  in  August  26,  1861. 
Resigned  March  13,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

BENJAMIN  F.  DUNHAM,  First  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  26, 
1861.  Promoted  to  Captain  May  13,  1862.  Discharged  July 
26,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  McGRANAHAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Sergeant  Major,  May  12,  1862.  Wounded  at  Chancel- 
lorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  Died  June  2,  1863,  of  wounds. 

JAMES  C.  McININCH,  Second  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Resigned  March  17,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

J.  HENRY  MILLER,  First  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  January  5,  1863.  Died 
since  the  war. 

G.  EMANUEL  GROSS,  Second  Sergeant — Mustered  in  Augus,t  1, 
1861.  Promoted  from  Sergeant  to  Second  Lieutenant,  March 
15,  1862;  to  First  Lieutenant,  July  26,  1862;  to  Captain,  July 
1,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 


320  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

SAMUEL  P.  GAMBLE,  Third  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  First  Lieutenant,  May  6,  1863.  Taken  prisoner 
July  25,  1863,  and  sent  to  Libby  Prison.  Escaped  with  ninety- 
eight  other  officers,  but  was  re-captured.  Escaped  in  May,  1864, 
and  reached  Sherman's  army,  where  he  remained  from  July, 
1864,  until  April,  1865.  Wounded  at  Pair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31, 
186L2,  and  at  Peach  Tree  Creek,  Ga.,  August,  1863.  Discharged 
April  26,  1865.  Died  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  December  31,  1904. 

WILLIAM  J.  THOMPSON,  Fourth  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Promoted  from  Sergeant  to  Captain,  July  26,  1862. 
Killed  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May.  3,  1863. 

WILLIAM  J.  ROBINSON,  Fifth  Sergeant.  Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Wounded  at  Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862.  Dis 
charged  on  account  of  wound  December  24,  1862.  Murdered  at 
McKees  Rocks,  Pa.,  May  22,  1901.  Buried  in  soldiers'  plot, 
Allegheny  cemetery,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

JOHN  M.  McINTYRE,  First  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Deserted  October  20,  1862. 

ELIJAH  HALL,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
by  order  of  Secretary  of  War,  November  8,  1862.  Died  since 
the  war. 

WILLIAM  F.  JONES,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Deserted  April  30,  1863. 

JOHN  M.  KIRKPATRICK,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

THOMAS  CAHOON,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Sergeant,  March  15,  1862;  to  Second  Lieutenant,  July 
5,  1863;  to  First  Lieutenant,  January  3,  1/864;  to  Captain,  April 
23,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Scalped  by  Indians 
in  1868,  while  conductor  on  Union  Pacific  railroad,  but  sur 
vived.  Committed  suici'de  February  7,  1894,  at  Ogden,  Utah. 
Buried  Allegheny,  Pa. 

WILLIAM  W.  PETERS,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Sergeant,  November  8,  1862.  Prisoner  from  May  12 
to  December  13,  1864.  Discharged  February  16,  1865.  Died  at 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  July  21,  1902. 

WILLIAM  C.  CAMPBELL,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Mustered  out  with  company. 

GEORGE  W.  HALL,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Deserted;  returned;  discharged  by  sentence  of  General  Court 
Martial,  February  1,  1865. 

FRANK  (FRED)  V.  BEISEL,  Musician^— Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Transferred  from  Company  C.  Mustered  out  with  com 
pany.  Died  June  20,  1900,  at  Beaver  Falls,  Pa.  Buried  Beaver, 
Pa.,  cemetery. 

PRIVATES. 

THOMAS  W.  BAKER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  December  13,  1861.  Died  at  Pittsburgh, 
Pa.,  March  25,  1907. 

ARTHUR  BALLOU — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Corporal,  June  30,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died 
since  the  war. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT 


321 


Died  June  12, 
May    3,    1863. 
D.    C.      Grave 

1861.     Deserted  Feb- 
Deserted  July 
Killed  at  Fair  Oaks, 
1861.      Mustered   out 
Transferred  to  Veteran 


RUDOLPH  Z.  BENZER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Corporal,  April  5,  1864.  Wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5, 
1864;  wounded  twice  at  Charles  City  Cross  Roads,  June  29, 

1862.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

ALBERT  BOLEY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promted  to  Cor 
poral.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

FRANK  BRAWLEY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  BRAWDY — Mustered  in  August  1,   1861. 

1863.  of    wounds    received    at    Chancellorsville, 
Buried   Military  Asylum   cemetery,    Washington 
1520. 

WILLIAM  BIDWELL — Mustered  in  August  1 

ruary  29,  1862. 
JOHN  W.   BILMIRE — Mustered   in  August   1,   1861. 

14,  1863. 
JAMES  CASEY— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861 

May  31,  1862. 
TERRANCE   CASEY — Mustered   in   August   1 

with  company. 
JAMES  CAIN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 

Reserve  Corps. 
BRYON  COWAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Veteran  Volunteer. 

Transferred  to  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 

Pennsylvania  Volunteers.     Died  since  the  war. 
JAMES  COLLINS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Wounded.     Absent 

wounded  at  muster  out. 
JOHN  CRAIG — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Killed  at  Wilderness, 

May  5,  1864. 
CHARLES  C.   CREGHAN — Mustered   in  August   1,   1861.      Mustered 

out    with    company.      Died    at    National    Military    Home,    Ohio, 

October  17,   1900,  and  buried  there. 
BENJAMIN  CRAVEN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Transferred  to 

Veteran  Reserve  Corps.     Died  since  the  war. 
ALEXANDER  J.   CLARK — Mustered  in  August   1,   1861.     Wounded 

at  Charles  City  Cross  Roads,  Va.,  June  29,   1862.     Discharged 

December  19,  1862,  on  account  of  wounds. 
WILLIAM    CARRICK — Mustered    in   August    1,    1861.      Prisoner    in 

Andersonville,    Ga.,    from   October    24,    1863,    to   November    26, 

1864.  Discharged  January  26,  1865.     Died  at  Homeville,  Pa., 
November   15,   1902.      Buried  there. 

EDWARD  DAVIS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral,  January  5,  1863;  to  Sergeant,  April  25,  1864.  Mustered 
out  with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

McEWAN  DORAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Captured  October 
24,  1863.  Died  in  Andersonville  Prison,  May  11,  1864.  Grave 
1020. 

RICHARD  DUMPHY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
July  4,  1863,  on  account  of  wounds  received  December  13,  1862, 
at  Fredericksburg.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  FOWLER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Murdered  in  WTash- 
ington,  D.  C.,  December  10,  1862. 


322  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

JOHN  FAGAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to  Corporal, 
April  25,  1864.  Wounded  at  Nelson's  Farm,  Va.,  June  30,  1862, 
and  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  com 
pany. 

JAMES  GIBSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate.  Died  since  the  war. 

ALVA  GILSON— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  August  2,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  C.  GREEN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  Febru 
ary  14,  1863,  for  wounds  received  at  Fredericksburg,  December 
13,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

DAVIS  GLASS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to  Corporal, 
March  15,  1862;  to  First  Sergeant,  July  5,  1863.  Wounded  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862.  Commanded  his  company 
for  six  months  before  expiration  of  term  of  service.  Mustered 
out  with  company. 

THOMAS  GLASS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  Febru 
ary  26,  1863,  for  wounds  received  at  Second  Bull  Run,  August 
29,  1862.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Re-enlisted  and  transferred  to 
Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Wounded  and  captured  at  Poplar  Grove  Church, 
Va.,  October  2,  1864.  Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  W.  GRAY — Mustered  in  August  ^1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company. 

JOHN  C.  GRAY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  May  21,  1863, 
of  wounds  received  at  Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863.  Buried 
Military  Asylum  cemetery,  Washington,  D.  C.  Grave  4355. 

GEORGE  HALL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  October 
11,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 
Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  H.  HAMILTON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Promoted 

'to  Corporal.      Wounded  at  Mine  Run,  Va.,  November  28,   1863. 

Color  bearer  May  28,  1864,  to  August  3,  1864.    Wounded  slightly 

five   times.      Mustered   out   with   company.      Died   February   21, 

1903,  at  Allegheny,  Pa. 

JONAS  M.  HARTZELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
on  writ  habeas  corpus,  March  19,  1863. 

SAMUEL  HAWTHORNE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded 
March,  1862.  Discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  March  9, 
1862.  Died  at  National  Military  Home,  Ohio,  February  14, 
1907. 

JOHN  HARVEY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  Decem 
ber  24,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  Orchards,  Va.,  June  25, 
1862. 

GEORGE  HARVEY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
December,  1863,  for  wounds  received  at  Chancellorsville,  Va., 
May  3,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

MARTIN  HOLLAND — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  in 
action.  Discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  October  10,  1862. 
Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  J.  KENNEDY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
by  order  of  War  Department,  December  25,  1863.  Died  since 
the  war. 


STORY  OF  THE   SIXTY-THIRD   REGIMENT  323 

CHARLES  INGRAM — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

MICHAEL  KENNEDY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  January  13,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  H.  REISER— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  of  dis 
ease  near  Yorktown,  Va.,  May  3,  1862. 

GEORGE  KILPATR1CK — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

JACOB  LONEBAUGH — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran  Volun 
teer.  Transferred  to  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Penn 
sylvania  Volunteers.  Died  at  Harmarsville,  Pa.,  since  the  war. 

PHILIP  LATHERBAUGH — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
— date  unknown.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  McADAMS,  JR. — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered 
out  with  company. 

ROBERT  McADAMS,  SR. — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  October  10,  1862.  Re-enlisted  February 
1,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 
December  25,  1873.  Father  of  James  and  Robert  Me  Adams,  Jr., 
and  brother  of  William  McAdams,  of  same  company.  Buried 
Uniondale  cemetery,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

JAMES  McADAMS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  December 
31,  1862,  of  wounds  received  at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August 
29,  1862.  Buried  Uniondale  cemetery,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

WILLIAM  McADAMS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Corporal,  June  30,  1863.  Wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31, 
1862,  and  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Absent  on  account 
of  wounds  at  muster  out.  Died  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  April,  1900. 
Buried  Uniondale  cemetery,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

THOMAS  McBRIDE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  March  27,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

ALEX.  McCONKEY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  April  4,  1862.  Re-enlisted  February  1, 
1864.  Transferred  to  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Wounded  with  loss  of  leg 
May  19,  1865.  Died  since  the  war. 

EDWARD  McCAFFREY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Spottsylvania,  May  12,  1864.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Transferred 
to  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

JAMES  A.  McCAFFERY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Corporal,  November  1,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  company. 
Died  since  the  war. 

DAVID  McCREERY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  April  28,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  C.  McDOWELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  May  22,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  McGEARY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  in 
action.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  D.  McKEE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company. 


324  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

JAMES  McCLAIN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Second 
Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

ELISHA  A  McANNINCH — Mustered  in  Ajugust  1,  1861.  Mustered 
out  with  company. 

FRANK  MONTAGUE— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  MOORE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  April  8,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

ALLEN  H.  NAYLOR — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Transferred  to 
Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Promoted  to  Sergeant.  Wounded  in  action.  Died 
March  31,  1865.  Buried  National  cemetery,  Annapolis,  Md. 

MARTIN  V.  NAYLOR — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  of 
wounds  received  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863. 

ROBERT  NEELY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Transferred  to 
regimental  band. 

JOHN  J.  NIEFER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Transferred  to 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  OLDHAM — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  March  18,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  PARE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  January  19,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

ALEX.  L.  PARK — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at  Philadel 
phia,  Pa.,  August  29,  1862,  of  wounds  received  at  Nelson's 
Farm,  Va.,  June  30,  1862. 

DAVID  RANDALL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  December  31,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

SAMUEL  J.  RENO — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  October  30,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

AARON  ROBBINS,  SR. — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  April  3,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

AARON  ROBBINS,  JR. — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Prisoner  from 
October  24,  1863,  to  November  20,  1864.  Discharged  January 
26,  1865.  Killed  by  train  at  Hites,  Pa.,  July  23,  1902.  Buried 
at  Tarentum,  Pa. 

JOSEPH  ROBBINS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  SHIELDS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  April  4,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  C.  TRIMBLE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  January  3,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  TATE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Chancel 
lorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863. 

JOHN  B.  TIMONY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  Died  September  1,  1901,  at  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 

JAMES  TODD — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  January  7,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

FRANK  I.  TOMER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

EDWARD  TURNER— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Deserted  Janu 
ary  28,  1863. 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  325 

STEPHEN  M.  VAUGHN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at 
Camp  Johnston,  Va.,  of  wounds. 

HENRY  VANNATTA — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Deserted 
November  29,  1861. 

WILLIAM  WATSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOSEPH  WHEELING — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  in 
action.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

SOLOMON  KLINE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  from 
Sergeant  Major  to  First  Lieutenant,  May  15,  1862.  Dismissed 
July  26,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOSEPH  WICKLINE — Mustered  in  July  11,  1862.  Promoted  to 
Corporal,  December  24,  1862;  to  Sergeant,  November  1,  1863. 
Wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864,  with  loss  of  leg. 
Absent  wounded  at  muster  out. 

JOSEPH  ASKINS — Mustered  in  July  30,  1862.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  October  5,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  BABCOCK — Drafted  September  7,  1863.  Killed  at  Wilder 
ness,  May  5,  1864. 

LYMAN  L.  BROWN — Drafted  September  4,  1863.  Killed  at  Wilder 
ness,  May  5,  1864. 

WILLIAM  BEARDSLEY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Transferred 
to  regimental  band. 

HENRY  CORNWALL — Drafted  September  3,  1S63.  Wounded  absent 
at  muster  out.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  CAMPBELL — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Wounded.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps.  Died 
since  the  war. 

GEORGE  A.  COOK — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran  Volun 
teer.  Transferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ment. 

ROBERT  FLEMING — Mustered  in  December  2,  1862.  Transferred 
to  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  FOWLER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  for 
disability,  1861. 

CHARLES  C.  GARDNER — Drafted  July  3,  1863.  Transferred 
to  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Died 
since  the  war. 

JOHN  HUGHES — Mustered  in  August  8,  1862.  Wounded.  Trans 
ferred  to  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Penn 
sylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

FRANCIS  M.  HALL — Drafted  September  7,  1863.  Transferred 
to  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

DAVID  HOLMES — Mustered  in  November  22,  1862.  Transferred  to 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps.  Died  since  the  war. 

EDMUND  HILL — Drafted  September  3,  1863.  Deserted  May  3,  1864. 
Returned.  Discharged  by  General  Order,  August  25,  1865. 

CHRIST  HILLER— Drafted  July  10,  1863.     Deserted  May  3,  1864. 


326  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

ROBERT  JOHNSTON — Drafted  July  14,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Captured  October  27,  1864.  Died  since  the  war. 

PHILIP  LEE— Mustered  in  June  7,  1862.  Discharged  November  6, 
1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

FRANK  LEON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Deserted  November 
10,  1861. 

GEORGE  MONTGOMERY  —  Mustered  in  February  6,  1864. 
Wounded.  Transferred  to  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  METZ — Mustered  in  August  4,  1862.  Transferred  to 
Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.'  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  MARSH — Drafted  September  7,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Killed.  Buried  in  National  cemetery,  Poplar  Grove, 
Va.  Grave  678. 

GEORGE  MORRISON — Drafted  September  7,  1863.  Wounded  at  the 
Wilderness,  May  5,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  A,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JAMES  MOORE — Mustered  in  -  — .  Killed  at  the 

Wilderness,  May  5,  1864. 

MANSFIELD  B.  MASON — Mustered  in  January  18,  1864.  Killed  at 
the  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864. 

GEORGE    METZ — Drafted    July    10,    1863.      Prisoner    from    June    1, 

1864,  to  March  1,  1865.     Discharged  by  general  order,  June  22, 

1865.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  McGRAW — Mustered  in  July  29,   1862..     Wounded  in  action. 

Transferred  to  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 

Pennsylvania  Volunteers.     Died  since  the  war. 
ROGER     McCAIN — Drafted     February     16,     1864.       Deserted     same 

month. 
FRANK    NICHOL — Mustered    in    September    23,    1863.      Transferred 

to  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 

Volunteers.     Died  since  the  war. 
ALBERT   PAESSKIE — Drafted   September    4,    1863.      Transferred   to 

Company    A,  'One    Hundred    and    Fifth    Regiment,    Pennsylvania 

Volunteers.      Died  since  the  war. 
JAMES  D.   PROSSER — Drafted  September   4,   1863.      Transferred   to 

Company   A,    One    Hundred    and    Fifth   Regiment,    Pennsylvania 

Volunteers.      Captured    and    died   at   Andersonville    Prison,    Ga. 

Grave   5323. 
MICHAEL  PURCELL — Mustered  in  July  7,  1862.     Killed  at  Second 

Bull  Run,  August  29,   1862. 
NICHOLAS  ROBBINS — Mustered  in  September   11,   1862.      Captured 

May    9,    1864.      Transferred   to   Company   A,   One   Hundred    and 

Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.     Died  since  the  war. 

ISAAC  RETTINGER— Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Wounded  in  action. 
Transferred  to  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JOHN  ROSENBERGER — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Died  at  Catlett's 
Station,  Va.,  November  5,  1863. 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  327 

JOHN  RETTINGER — Drafted  July  18,  1863.     Died  since  the  war. 

CHARLES  F.  RAYMOND — Drafted  September  3,  1863.  Deserted 
October  4,  1863. 

JAMES  B.  SOWERS — Mustered  in  August  29,  1861.  Veteran  Volun 
teer.  Transferred  to  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

MATTHEW  SMITH — Drafted  July  22,  1863.  Wounded  at  Wilder 
ness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  A,  One  Hun 
dred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JOHN  J.  STORY— Drafted  August  4,  1863.      Deserted  May  3,  1864. 

FAYETTE  THORN — Drafted  September  E,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Wounded  in  action  with  loss  of  leg. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Killed  or  died  of  wounds 19 

Died  of  disease 4 

Murdered 1 

Discharged    39 

Deserted    12 

Resigned    2 

Dismissed    1 

Transferred  to  other  regiments 29 

Mustered  out.  ,  .36 


Total    143 

Wounded  in  action.  .  .40 


HISTORY  OF  COMPANY  E. 


Company  E  was  organized  in  Etna,  Pa.,  at  a  meeting  held  on 
August  1,  1861.  Andrew  G.  Williams  was  elected  Captain  and  R. 
Howard  Millar,  First  Lieutenant.  The  company  was  composed  of 
about  sixty-eight  men,  who  went  into  camp  in  a  field  in  Etna,  in 
the  center  of  which  stood  a  building  known  as  Kiel's  Band  Hall, 
which  was  used  as  barracks  for  the  men. 

Quite  a  number  of  the  company  had  been  members  of  a  Home 
Guard  company  which  was  then  in  full  organization,  and  of  which 
John  A.  Banks  was  the  First  Lieutenant. 

After  the  company  had  been  in  this  camp  a  few  days,  Colonel 
Hays  visited  the  company  and  urged  the  officers  to  march  to  Camp 
Wilkins  and  become  a  part  of  the  regiment  he  was  then  recruiting. 
The  company,  not  having  their  full  complement  of  men,  were  fearful 
that  they  might  be  disbanded  or  assigned  to  other  companies  in  the 
regiment,  and  refused  to  go  into  Camp  Wilkins  to  be  mustered  until 
a  sufficient  number  had  been  recruited  to  assure  them  the  continu 
ance  of  their  own  organization. 

Colonel  Hays  continued  his  visits  almost  every  other  day  for 
about  two  weeks  when,  after  the  urgent  solicitation  of  Captain  Wil 
liams  and  Lieutenant  Millar,  John  A.  Banks  was  persuaded  to  accept 
the  position  of  Captain  of  the  company,  and  Captain  Williams  and 
Lieutenant  Millar  took  their  positions  among  the  ranks  of  the 
enlisted  men^. 

The  company,  during  the  time  they  were  encamped  in  this  field, 
were  drilled  and  under  military  discipline,  and  were  most  royally 
cared  for  by  the  citizens  of  Etna  and  surrounding  country,  who  fur 
nished  them  with  all  kinds  of  eatables  and  provisions  of  the  best  qual 
ity  and  in  most  lavish  abundance.  After  Captain  Banks  had  assumed 
command  of  the  company,  arrangements  were  at  once  made  to  enter 
Camp  Wilkins,  and  the  first  afternoon  the  company  was  in  that 
camp  negotiations  were  entered  into  with  John  McClellan,  who  was 
then  in  camp  with  some,  eighteen  or  twenty  men  from  the  farming 
districts  of  Indiana  and  West  Beer  townships,  whereby  he  and  his 
men  were  to  become  a  part  of  the  company  under  command  of  Cap 
tain  Banks,  and  a  permanent  organization  was  then  effected  by  the 
election  of  John  A.  Banks,  Captain;  John  McClellan,  First  Lieuten 
ant,  and  WTm.  J.  McElroy,  who  had  just  returned  from  the  three 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  329 

months'  service,  as  Second  Lieutenant.  The  company  was  mustered 
into  the  service  of  the  United  States  by  then  Lieutenant,  afterward 
Captain  W.  B.  Hays,  of  the  Sixth  United  States  Cavalry,  and  was 
thereafter  known  as  Company  B,  Sixty-third  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

The  company  left  Pittsburgh  on  the  afternoon  of  September  8, 
1861,  and  its  subsequent  history  is  the  glorious  history  and  record 
of  the  old  Sixty-third. 

ROSTER. 

JOHN  A.  BANKS,  Captain — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Major,  September  29,  1862;  to  Lieutenant  Colonel, 
December  18,  1863;  commissioned  Colonel,  July  1,  1863.  Not 
mustered.  Mustered  out  with  regiment.  Died  at  Glenfield,  Pa., 
July  25,  1896.  Buried  in  Allegheny  City,  Pa. 

JOHN  McCLELLAND,  First  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  September   9, 

1861.  Promoted  to  Captain,  September   29,   1862.     Absent  on 
recruiting  service  at  muster  out.     Died  at  Springdale,  Pa.,  since 
the  war. 

WILLIAM  J.  McELROY,  Second  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  September 
9,  1861.  Resigned  September  31,  1861.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  J.  MARKS,  First  Sergeant.     — Mustered  in  — 

Promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant,  August  15,  1862.  Died  Sep 
tember  11,  1862,  of  wounds  received  in  action  at  Second  Bull 
Run,  August  29,  1862. 

ROBERT  HOWARD  MILLAR,  Second  Sergeant — Mustered  in  Sep 
tember  9,  1861.  Promoted  to  First  Lieutenant,  September  29, 

1862.  Acting  Adjutant  'from  November  27,  1863,  to  June  22, 
1864.      Wounded   at   Petersburg,   Va.,   June    22,    1864.      Absent 
wounded    at    muster    out.      Died    Pittsburgh,    Pa.,    February    1, 
1899.     Buried  Greenwood  cemetery,  near  Glenshaw,  Pa. 

ANDREW  G.  WILLIAMS,  Third  Sergeant — Mustered  in  September 
9,  1861.  Promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant,  September  13,  1862. 
Wounded  at  Charles  City  Cross  Roads,  June  30,  1862;  at  Fred- 
ericksburg,  Va.,  December  13,  1862;  and  at  the  Wilderness,  Va., 
May  5,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

THOMAS  J.  COATES,  Fourth  Sergeant — Mustered  in  September  9, 
1861.  Died  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  June  9,  1862,  of  wounds 
received  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 

WILLIAM  B.  WHITFIELD,  Fifth  Sergeant.  Mustered  in  Septem 
ber  9,  1861.  Captured.  Died  in  Libby  Prison,  Richmond,  Va., 
July  19,  1862. 

JOHN  THOMAS,  First  Corporal — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861. 
Discharged  'on  surgeon's  certificate,  April  18,  1862.  Died  since 
the  war. 

WILLIAM  H.  MAGILL,  Second  Corporal — Mustered  in  September  9, 
1861.  Wounded  at  Wilderness,  May  6,  1864.  Absent  wounded 
at  muster  out. 

HENRY  WILLIAMS,  Third  Corporal — Mustered  in  September  9, 
1861.  Discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  August,  1862.  Died 
since  the  war. 


330  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

SAMUEL  GUTHRIE,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861. 
Missing  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863. 

JAMES  M.  KINCAID,  Fourth  Corporal — Mustered  in  September  9, 
1861.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  E,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died 
June  30,  1906,  National  Military  Home,  Santa  Monica,  Cal. 
Grave  21,  section  12,  row  H. 

THOMAS  J.  DAVIS,  Fifth  Corporal.  Mustered  in  September  9, 
1861.  Missing  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 

CHARLES  W.  GRIESMER,  Sixth  Corporal.  Mustered  in  September 
9,  1861.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  at  Etna,  Pa.,  since 
the  war. 

JOHN  BLAIR,  Seventh  Corporal — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Sergeant,  September  10,  1862.  Veteran  Volunteer. 
Wounded  with  loss  of  leg.  Died  at  home  and  buried  in  Alle 
gheny  cemetery,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

HARRISON  H.  ANDERSON,  Eighth  Corporal — Mustered  in  Septem 
ber  9,  1861.  Promted  to  Second  Lieutenant.  Resigned  August 
14,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN    H.    HOWENSTEIN,    Musician — Mustered    in    September     9, 

1861.  Promoted   to   leader   of  band,   January,    1862.      Died   at 
Pittsburgh,   Pa.,   since   the   war. 

JAMES  A.  CLOWS,  Musician — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Mus 
tered  out  with  company,  September  9,  1864.  Re-enlisted  in 
Company  A,  Seventh  Connecticut  Infantry,  September  22,  1864. 
Wounded  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  and  Three  Creeks  Bridge,  Va., 
March,  1865. 

MILTON  J.  BOYD,  Musician — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861. 
Wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Discharged  August, 

1862,  on  account  of  wounds. 

WILLIAM  S.  GRAY,  Wagoner — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Dis 
charged  on  surgeon's  certificate;  date  unknown.  Died  Indiana 
township,  Pa.,  since  the  war. 

PRIVATES. 

JOHN  R.  ABER — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral,  February,  1863.  Wounded  at  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864. 
Absent  in  hospital  at  muster  out.  Died  Butler,  Pa.,  since  the 
war. 

ROBERT  AIKEN — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Killed  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 

JOSEPH  AKART — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Died  of  disease 
in  hospital  at  Yorktown,  Pa.,  May  16,  1862. 

GEORGE  W.  ALLISON — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Corporal,  March,  1862.  Wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May 
31,  1862.  Discharged  August  1,  1862,  on  account  of  wounds. 

ROBERT  M.  BOYD — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Missing  at 
Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 

JAMES  A.  BATEMAN — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Veteran 
Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Wounded  August  12,  1864. 
Died  since  the  war. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  331 

SAMUEL  R.  BALDWIN — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Dis 
charged  December  30,  1862,  on  account  of  wounds  received  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  30,  1862. 

ROBERT  J.  BLACK — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Died  of  dis 
ease  in  hospital  at  Yorktown,  Va.,  May  6,  1862.  Buried  in 
National  cemetery,  section  C,  grave  1417. 

SAMUEL  BENNETT— Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Killed  at 
Petersburg,  Va.,  June  16,  1864. 

JOHN  BO  YD — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  February  2,  1862. 

JOSEPH  BEYNON — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Killed  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Buried  in  Allegheny  cemetery,  Pitts 
burgh,  Pa. 

GEORGE  W.  CLARK — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  February  8,  1863.  Died  shortly  after 
his  return. 

WILLIAM  CLOWES — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Hospital  Steward,  Sixty-first  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers,  March  31,  1862.  Mustered  out  July  2,  1865. 

JOHN  COOPER — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Killed  at  Second 
Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

JOHN  CALLIGHAN — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  May  *  5,  1864.  Wounded  several  times.  Absent 
wounded  at  muster  out.  Died  since  the  war. 

HUGH  CUNNINGHAM — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Corporal,  October  4,  1862.  Transferred  to  Company  E,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Miss 
ing  at  Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  12,  1864. 

WILLIAM  H.  CLARK — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Deserted 
August  29,  1862. 

RICHARD  DAVIS — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  March,  1863. 

DAVID  D.  DUNLAP — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  December  9,  1862. 

ISAAC  EDGAR — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Brigade  wagon- 
master.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

JOHN  EMRICK — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Missing  in 
action,  May  31,  1862.  Captured  and  died  in  Richmond,  Va., 
July  11,  1862. 

CHARLES  FLAGG — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  near  Wheeling,  W.  V.,  since  the  war. 

CHRISTOPHER  FISHER    (or  Fischner) — Mustered  in  September  9, 

1861.  Mustered  out  with  company.     Died  at  Talley  Cavey,  Pa., 
since  the  war. 

JOHN  FLEMING — Mustered  in  September  9,   1861.      Died  July   16, 

1862,  of  wounds  received  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 

EARNEST  FREDERICK — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Dis 
charged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  July,  1862. 

JOHN  FRAYER — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  12,  1864.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Trans 
ferred  to  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 


332  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

JOHN  B.  FORD — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Killed  in  skirmish 
June  25,  1862,  near  Richmond,  Va. 

JAMES  G.  GALBRAITH — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Mustered 
out  with  company.  Died  at  Millvale,  Pa.,  since  the  war. 

JAMES  W.  GALBRAITH — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Missing 
at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

EDWARD  GRANT — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Deserted  Octo 
ber  12,  1862. 

SAMUEL  A.  GRAY — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Captured  at 
Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  com 
pany. 

W.  S.  GRAY — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Division  teamster. 
Discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  November  15,  1863. 

DAVID  GRIFFITHS — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Transferred 
to  Company  H. 

GEORGE  S.  HANNA — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Discharged 
July,  1862.  Died  at  Springdale,  Pa.,  since  the  war. 

THOMAS  HANNA — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Died  of  disease 
in  hospital  at  Portsmouth  Grove,  R.  I.,  March  23,  1863. 

DAVID  HAYLES — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Transferred  to 
Company  C. 

JOHN  HUGGINS — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862,  and  died  from  wounds  received 
July  19,  1862.  Buried  at  Cypress  Hill  cemetery,  Long  Island. 

JOHN  HASSINGER — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Drummer. 
Transferred  to  Company  G.  Died  of  heart  disease,  November, 
1861.  Buried  in  ol'd  Robinson  Presbyterian  churchyard,  near 
Sharpsburg,  Pa. 

PHILIP  W.  HASSINGER — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Musi 
cian.  Died  of  disease,  October,  1861.  Buried  in  old  Robinson 
Presbyterian  churchyard,  near  Sharpsburg,  Pa. 

ROBERT  HENRY— Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Sergeant,  October  4,  1862.  Transferred  to  Company  E,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Missing 
at  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  Va.,  July  12,  1864. 

WILLIAM  H.  HILTABIDEL — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Dis 
charged  May  4,  1862.  Died  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  since  the  war. 

HENRY  HARRIS — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Savage  Station,  Va.,  1862.  Discharged  April,  1862.  Died  since 
the  war. 

JOHN  HEIST — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral,  December  20,  1862.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Transferred  to 
Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Missing  at  Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  12,  1864. 

JOHN  G.  HOMYER — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.     Mustered  out 

with  company. 
BENJAMIN  HUGHES — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.     Transferred 

to   Company   C.      Wounded   at   Fair   Oaks,   Va.,   May    31,    1862. 

Captured  at  Glendale. 

WILLIAM  HUTCHMAN — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Dis 
charged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  December  2,  1862. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  333 

JOHN  S.  HUNTER — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.     Mustered  out 

with  company.     Captured  at  Glendale,  Va.,  and  sent  to  Libby 

Prison. 
ROBERT   HARE — Mustered    in   December    6,    1861.      Transferred   to 

Company   E,   One   Hundred   and   Fifth   Regiment,   Pennsylvania 

Volunteers. 
EBENEZER  JONES — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.     Transferred 

to  First  United  States  Artillery,  December  25,  1862. 
ALFRED  H.  JONES— Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.     Promoted  to 

Corporal,  March  4,   1863.      Wounded  at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va., 

August  29,   1862,  and  twice  at  Chancellorsville,   May   3,   1863. 

Captured  June   22,   1864,  and  sent  to  Libby  Prison.      Released 

December  13,  1864. 
RICHARD  J.  JONES — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.     Wounded  at 

Chancellorsville,   Va.,    May    3,    1863.      Discharged  on   surgeon's 

certificate,   January,   1863.      Died  April   1,    1899,   at   Columbus, 

Ohio.      Buried  Glocester,  Ohio. 
WILLIAM  JONES — Mustered  in  September   9,   1861.      Mustered  out 

with  company.     Died  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  May  14,  1901. 
THOMAS    B.    JONES — Mustered    in    September    9,    1861.      Wounded 

Charles  City  Cross  Roads,  Va.,  June  30,   1862.     Discharged  on 

surgeon's  certificate,  January  20,  1863.     Died  April  29,  1907,  at 

Aspinwall,  Pa. 
JACOB  JOHNSTON — Mustered  in  September  9,   1861.      Transferred 

to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 
MICHAEL  KOERNER — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.     Discharged 

on  surgeon's  certificate,  October,   1862.      Died  in  Shaler   town 
ship,  Pa.,  soon  after  his  discharge. 
JOSIAH    KELLY — Mustered    in    September    9,    1861.      Mustered    out 

with  company.     Died  at  Etna,  Pa.,  since  the  war. 
WILLIAM   F.    LEE — Mustered    in    September    9,    1861.      Missing   at 

Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 
THOMAS  LAWRENCE — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.     Wounded 

at  Nelson's  Farm,  Va.,  June  30,   1862.     Absent  sick  at  muster 

out.     Died  Sharpsburg,  Pa.,  1894. 
JEROME  C.  LINGLE — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.     Discharged 

on  surgeon's  certificate. 
GEORGE    LAING — Mustered    in    September    9,    1861.      Promoted    to 

First  Sergeant,      Veteran  Volunteer.      Transferred  to  One  Hun 
dred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
HARRISON    H.    LACY — Mustered    in    September    9,    1861.      Veteran 

Volunteer.      Transferred  to  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 

Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
DAVID  LYNCH — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.     Deserted  August 

29,  1862. 

THOMAS  LAMB — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

ISAAC  A.  MARSHALL — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Wounded 
at  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864.  Absent  in  hospital  at  muster  out. 
Died  since  the  war. 

KENNEDY  McKEE — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Discharged 
October  28,  1862,  on  surgeon's  certificate. 


334       .       UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

DAVID  D.  MEHAFFEY— Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Corporal,  October  4,  1862.  Died  June  19,  1864,  of  wounds 
received  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  June,  1864.  Buried  near  Meade 
Station,  Va. 

THOMAS  A.  MILLER — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Missing  at 
Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

DAVID  McINTYRE — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  near  Bakerstown,  Pa.,  December  2,  1905. 

GEORGE  W.  McCUTCHEON — Mustere-d  in  September  9,  1861. 
Wounded  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  June  22,  1864.  Died  at  Pitts 
burgh,  Pa.,  October  30,  1900. 

WILLIAM  J.  McLAREN — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Promoted 
to  First  Sergeant.  Died  June  6,  1864,  of  wounds  received  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Buried  in  East  Union  U.  P. 
cemetery. 

S.  C.  MCLAUGHLIN — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Transferred 
to  Company  C,  October  11,  1861. 

CORNELIUS  W.  MILLAR — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Corporal.  Killed  at  Charles  City  Cross  Roads,  Va., 
June  30,  1862.  Brother  R.  Howard  Millar. 

BENJAMIN  PATTON — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Died 
November  27,  1862,  of  wounds  received  at  Groveton,  August 
29,  1862. 

THOMAS  POWERS — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Nelson's  Farm,  Va.,  June  30,  1862.  Discharged  September  27, 
1862. 

THOMAS  PUGH — Mustered  in  September  9,  1862.  Discharged  June 
7,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  PEARS — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Petersburg,  Va.,  June  18,  1864.  Absent  wounded  at  muster 
out. 

SAMUEL  PORTER — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Missing  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

JOHN  G.  ROBINSON — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Corporal,  August  1,  1863.  Wounded  at  Nelson's  Farm,  Va.; 
at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862;  at  Gettysburg,  Pa., 
July  2,  1863.  Absent  on  recruiting  service  at  muster  out. 

SYLVANUS  C.  SCOTT — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Discharged 
January  10,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

DAVID  STOUP — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral,  February,  1863.  Died  of  disease  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July 
25,  1863.  Buried  in  National  cemetery,  section  A,  grave  72. 

MICHAEL  M.  SCHULTZ — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Corporal,  February,  1863.  Prisoner  from  June  22, 
1864,  to  December  13,  1864.  Discharged  December  19,  1864. 
Died  since  the  war. 

PHILIP  SNYDER — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Deserted  August 
20,  1862. 

DANIEL  SMITH — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  A.  WILLIAMS — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Wounded 
June  24,  1862.  Mustered  out  with  company. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  335 

PETER  SMOULTER — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Veteran 
Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Wounded  at  the  Wilder 
ness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Died  Glenshaw,  Pa.,  March  19,  1907. 
Buried  Mt.  Royal  cemetery. 

THOMAS  THRUMSTON — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Wounded 
at  Wilderness,  May  6,  1864,  losing  an  arm.  Died  at  Pittsburgh, 
Pa.,  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  WOODWARD — Mustered  in  February  24,  1862.  Deserted 
December  13,  1862. 

SIMON  WEIKERT — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  November,  1862.  Died  at  Millvale,  Pa., 
since  the  war. 

JOHN  M.  YAHRES — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Color  guard; 
also  detailed  as  provost  guard  General  Birney's  headquarters. 
Prisoner  from  June  22,  1864,  to  March  1,  1865.  Discharged 
April  1,  1865. 

PETER  YOUNG — Mustered  'in  September  9,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Died  of  wounds. 

RALPH  H.  DAWSON,  Corporal — Mustered  in  February  12,  1862. 
Wounded  at  Glendale,  June  30,  1862,  and  at  Wilderness,  Va., 
May  5,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

EMANUEL  BURKETT — Drafted  September  9,  1863.  Wounded. 
Transferred  to  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Abesent  wounded  at  muster  out. 
Died  since  the  war. 

HENRY  BOWERS — Drafted  July  13,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company 
E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Missing  in  action  May  5,  1864. 

ROBERT  R.  BURCHFIELD — Drafted  September  8,  1863.  Trans 
ferred  to  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Penn 
sylvania  Volunteers.  Missing  in  action  June  22,  1864.  Said  to 
have  died  in  Andersonville  prison. 

JAMES  F.  BLANCETT — Drafted  July  17,  1863.  Deserter  from 
Rebel  Army.  Transferred  to  Western  Army. 

JOHN  W.  BENNETT — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Wounded  May  12, 
1864.  Transferred  to  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Penn 
sylvania  Volunteers.  Absent  wounded  at  muster  out.  Died 
since  the  war. 

THOMAS  COFFIN — Mustered  in  October  12,  1862.  Wounded  before 
Petersburg,  June  16,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  E,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died 
since  the  war. 

A.  M.  CREIGHTON — Drafted  July  13,  1863.  Missing  in  action  May 
5,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JAMES  Y.  FLEMING — Mustered  in  February  24,  1862.  Transferred 
to  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  H.  GODFREY — Drafted  September  12,  1863.  Transferred 
to  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 


336  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

WILLIAM  CONELLY — Drafted  September  1,  1863.  Deserted  at 
Brandy  Station. 

WILLIAM  EMERICK — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  June  7,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  A.  CARRIES — Drafted  September  12,  1863.  Wounded  at 
Spottsylvania,  May  12,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  E,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died 
Erie,  Pa.,  December  25,  1906.  Buried  Trinity  cemetery,  Erie. 

WILLIAM  S.  GREER — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Wounded.  Died  since  the  war. 

CHARLES  HIGGINS — Drafted  September  12,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  M.  JONES — Drafted  September  2,  1863.  Deserted  September 
13,  1863. 

ELIAS  KUNSELMAN — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Wounded  at  Wilder 
ness,  May  5,  1864.  Died  since  the  war. 

HENRY  H.  KENNAN  (or  Keener) — Drafted  July  14,  1863.  Cap 
tured  at  Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  12,  1864.  Died  in  Anderson- 
ville  Prison,  July  12,  1864.  Grave  3678. 

WILLIAM  LONG — Drafted  July  14,  1863.  Wounded  at  Wilderness, 
May  6,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  KUNSELMAN— Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Captured.  Died  in 
Andersonville  Prison,  Ga.,  March  31,  1864.  Grave  268. 

SAMUEL  LIVENGOOD — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Died  of  disease 
while  prisoner,  July  25,  1864. 

JOHN  C.  MOORE — Drafte-d  July  14,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company 
E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Died  since  the  war. 

CONRAD  MEESE  (or  Niece) — Drafted.  Killed  at  Petersburg,  Va., 
June  16,  1864. 

JEREMIAH  McMULLEN — Drafted  July  15,  1863.  Deserted  Septem 
ber  13,  1863. 

JAMES  A.  POWERS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1862.  Wounded  at 
Second  Bull  Run  (lost  leg)  August  29,  1862.  Discharged  Janu 
ary  16,  1863. 

JOHN  W.  RIKE — Drafted  July  14,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company 
E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Died  October,  1896,  at  West  Elizabeth,  Pa. 

JOSEPH  O.  STEINER — Mustered  in  August  10,  1862.  Wounded  at 
Locust  Grove,  Va.,  November  27,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers. 

JOSEPH  SCHRACK — Drafted  July  14,  1863.  Wounded  at  Wilder 
ness,  May  5,  1864.  Transferred  to  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  C.  SHORT — Drafted  July  13,  1863.  Wounded  in  front  of 
Petersburg,  Va.,  June  18,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  E, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  337 

LYDICK  SMITH — Drafted  July  13,  1863.  Captured.  Died  in  Libby 
Prison,  Richmond,  Va.,  December  29,  1863. 

WILLIAM  SNYDER-— Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Wounded  at  the 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  E,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

THOMAS  J.  WOODWARD — Mustered  in  February  24,  1862. 
Wounded  at  Gettysburg,  July  2,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company 
E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

DAVID  F.  WALTER  (real  name  Zacharias  Gordon) — Drafted  Sep 
tember  3,  1863.  Wounded  before  Petersburg,  Va.,  June  16, 
1864.  Transferred  to  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

MARTIN  L.  WILLETS — Drafted  July  13,  1863.  Wounded  Cold 
,Harbor,  Va.,  June  3,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  E,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

DAVID  WESTLEY — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  December  12,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Killed  or  died  of  wounds 29 

Died  of  disease 12 

Discharged     29 

Deserted    8 

Resigned    2 

Transferred  to  other  regiments 38 

Mustered  out 27 

Total  enrolled 145 

Wounded  in  action.  .  .46 


HISTORY  OF  COMPANY  F. 


In  July,  1861,  immediately  after  the  disaster  at  Bull  Run,  Bernard 
J.  Reid,  of  the  Clarion  bar,  began  to  recruit  a  company  for  the  war. 
Two  companies  had  already  gone  from  Clarion  county,  and  while  'he 
was  canvassing  for  his  company  nine  others  were  in  process  of 
formation  in  the  same  territory.  So  much  competition  made  the 
work  slower  than  was  anticipated.  He  was  encouragdd  and  assisted 
by  a  number  of  his  patriotic  citizens,  among  whom  were  Hon. 
James  Campbell,  Col.  Thomas  McCulloch,  Hon.  James  Sweny,  Daniel 
Delo,  Robert  Thorne,  John  C.  Reid  and  John  G.  McGkmagle.  The 
last  named  was  the  county  superintendent  of  'common  schools,  and 
resigned  his  office  to  assist  In  the  work. 

Colonel  Alexander  Hays  had  received  authority  from  the  War 
Department  to  organize  a  regiment  at  Pittsburgh,  and  learning  that 
Captain  Reid  was  raising  a  company,  he  wrote  on  the  2nd  of  August, 
inviting  him  to  join  'his  regiment,  and  the  invitation  was  accepted. 

When  about  sixty  were  enrolled,  the  captain  fixed  upon  August 
20th  for  a  rendezvous  at  Clarion,  to  hold  a  three  days'  encampment 
on  the  fair  grounds,  and  be  ready  to  march  on  the  morning  of  the 
23rd.  The  encampment  was  held,  but  when  the  hour  for  marching 
came,  less  than  forty  were  ready  to  go.  The  courage  of  a  few  had 
failed  them,  and  some  were  won  away  by  canvassers  for  other  com 
panies. 

The  starting  was  then  postponed  till  September  5th,  with  the  hope 
that  the  ranks  would  be  then  nearly  full.  Accordingly,  on  the  4th  of 
September,  all  the  recruits,  except  those  on  or  near  the  line  of 
march,  assembled  at  Clarion,  and  at  10  o'clock  the  next  day  fell  into 
ranks.  Judge  Glenni  W.  Scofield,  who  was  hol'ding  court  at  Clarion, 
swore  the  men  in,  and  made  them  an  eloquent  and  patriotic  address. 
Then  with  "Right  Face!  Forward  March!"  the  column  moved  off, 
escorted  for  a  mile  out  of  town  by  Guth's  brass  band  and  a  large 
concourse  of  citizens. 

When  the  recruits  on  the  way  were  gathered  in,  the  company 
numbered  fifty.  They  were:  Bernard  J.  Reid,  John  G.  McGonagle, 
Lawrence  Egan,  Joshua  H.  Delo,  George  W.  Fox,  John  R.  Guthrie, 
George  W.  McCulloch,  John  Kuhns,  James  Waley,  David  R.  Dunmire, 
Daviid  Irwin,  Thomas  H.  Martin,  Adam  Potter,  Ami  Whitehill,  Ben 
jamin  P.  Hilliard,  James  Barr,  Andrew  Basim,  Thomas  Bolton,  John 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  339 

S.  Crooks,  John  Cyphert,  Isaiah  K.  Dale,  James  O.  Delp,  Jacob  I. 
Delo,  John  B.  Denslinger,  William  J.  Dunlap,  Isaac  N.  Fenstermaker, 
Thomas  M.  Frazier,  Alexander  Goble,  William  Greenawalt,  William 
L.  Hall,  Charles  Harpst,  Henry  L.  Highbarger,  Jonas  Highbarger, 
John  Jo'hnson,  Joseph  Loll,  William  McCaskey,  Marcus  J.  McLaugh- 
lin,  John  Newhouse,  Daniel  O'Neill,  Alfred  T.  Rence,  John  Reed, 
Anthony  P.  Refner,  George  W.  Rhees,  Samuel  K.  Richards,  Andrew 
E.  Russell,  Henry  Shoup,  Sylvester  Straub,  John  A.  Stroup,  Abraham 
Wiles  and  David  Woodruff. 

At  Curllsville,  ten  miles  distant,  a  sumptuous  out-door  dinner 
awaited  them,  with  scores  of  ladies  and  hundreds  of  citizens  to  wel 
come  them  and  cheer  them  on.  At  Redbank,  on  the  Allegheny 
River,  after  a  march  of  twenty  miles,  the  company  was  entertained 
for  the  night,  without  charge,  at  Captain  W.  P.  Connor's  hotel.  A 
further  march  of  fifteen  miles  next  forenoon  brought  them  to  Kit- 
tanning,  the  then  northern  terminus  of  the  Allegheny  Valley  Rail 
road. 

A  mile  out  from  Kittanning,  a  delegation  from  Colonel  Sirwell's 
regiment  (Seventy-eighth  Pennsylvania  Volunteers)  then  forming  in 
Camp  Orr,  met  the  company  and  escorted  it  to  their  camp  for  dinner. 
Here  a  strong  but  fruitless  appeal  was  made  to  the  captain  to  join 
that  regiment,  in  which  there  already  were  two  Clarion  county  com 
panies.  Taking  the  afternoon  train  for  Pittsburgh,  the  company 
reached  the  old  Pike  Street  station  after  'dark.  By  some  mistake 
as  to  time  of  arriving,  no  one  came  to  meet  and  conduct  them  to 
camp;  and,  uncertain  of  finding  accommodations  there  for  his  men 
at  so  late  an  hour,  the  captain  marched  them  to  the  Girard  House 
(now  the  Central)  for  supper,  lodging  and  breakfast.  They  entered 
Camp  Wilkins  the  next  forenoon,  Saturday,  September  7th. 

In  the  afternoon  Colonel  Hays  sent  back  Captain  Reid  and  George 
W.  McCulloch  to  recruit  more  men,  leaving  those  in  camp  in  charge 
of  John  G.  McGonagle,  who,  by  common  consent,  was  to  be  first 
lieutenant. 

On  Monday,  September  9th,  at  Clarion,  the  captain  issued  hand 
bills,  fixing  the  following  Monday  for  the  rendezvous,  and  Tuesday, 
September  17th,  for  the  march.  In  the  interim  he  canvassed  the 
northern  end  of  the  county  and  McCulloch  the  southern,  and  on  the 
17th,  according  to  program,  they  marched  with  forty-four  recruits, 
as  follows: 

John  Baumgardner,  Henry  Beer,  William  Blair,  Franklin  Gathers, 
William  Campbell,  Emanuel  Cussins,  Philip  Daum,  Joseph  S.  Elder, 
Robert  S.  Elgin,  Finady  Eshelman,  Bernard  Faroust,  John  Gilford, 
John  A.  Griffin,  Philip  D.  Griffin,  James  Hamilton,  David  S.  Keiser, 
Michael  Kempf,  John  Lawhead,  Gregory  Lawrence,  Joseph  Lichen- 
berger,  Jacob  Mentzer,  Preston  H.  Moodie,  James  McCammon,  Francis 


340  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

P.  McCloskey,  James  McBride,  James  McDonald,  Hugh  P.  McKee, 
George  W.  McMichael,  Peter  Nugent,  Peter  O'Neill,  William  A.  Paup, 
George  W.  Remel,  John  G.  Richards,  James  Sample,  Alden  Slocum, 
Christian  Smathers,  John  Stewart,  John  Thompson,  William  M. 
Thompson,  Anthony  Torry,  John  Tyler,  John  Vorhauer,  William  Wil 
kinson  and  Curtis  C.  Zink. 

The  march  was  overland  to  Redbank  the  first  day,  and  the  next 
morning  the  squad  floated  down  the  river  on  an  oil  flat  to  Kittan- 
ning,  and  thence  by  cars  to  Pittsburgh.  At  Camp  Wilkins  it  was 
found  that  the  regiment  had  gone  on  to  Washington,  leaving 
Adjutant  Corts  to  look  after  in-coming  recruits.  The  next  afternoon, 
September  19th,  Captain  Rei'd  was  sent  forward  in  charge  of  his 
own  recruits  and  a  number  for  other  companies,  and  after  a  day's 
delay  at  Harris'burg,  waiting  for  a  troop  train,  rejoined  the  regiment 
at  Camp  Hays,  in  the  northern  suburbs  of  Washington,  on  Saturday, 
September  21st. 

On  the  23rd  the  company  election  was  held.  B.  J.  Reid  and  John 
G.  McGonagle  were  unanimously  elected  captain  and  first  lieutenant. 
Lawrence  Egan  and  George  W.  McCulloch  competed  for  the  second 
lieutenancy.  The  choice  fell  upon  Egan.  Joshua  H.  Delo  and  Curtis 
C.  Zink  were  a  tie  for  orderly,  an;d  the  former  was  appointed.  The 
other  appointments  were  as  follows:  Second  sergeant,  C.  C.  Zink; 
third  sergeant,  G.  W.  Fox;  fourth  sergeant,  John  R.  Guthrie;  fifth 
sergeant,  George  W.  McCulloch;  first  corporal,  John  Kuhns;  second 
corporal,  R.  S.  Elgin;  third  corporal,  James  Waley;  fourth  corporal, 
David  R.  Dunmire;  fifth  corporal,  David  Irwin;  sixth  corporal, 
Thomas  H.  Martin;  seventh  corporal,  Adam  Potter;  eighth  corporal, 
John  Stewart.  Musicians,  Ami  Whitehill  and  B.  P.  Hilliard.  Team 
ster,  P.  H.  Moodie. 

Here  the  company  received  its  letter  and  place  in  line, — the  centre 
of  the  left  wing,  between  D  and  H, — and  its  arms,  but  no  uniforms. 
On  Saturday  evening,  September  28th,  the  regiment  was  ordered 
across  the  Potomac  to  the  Virginia  side.  It  was  at  first  assigned  to 
Franklin's  brigade  and  went  into  Camp  Shields,  about  three  miles 
from  Alexandria,  on  the  Leesburg  turnpike,  where  it  remained  two 
weeks.  Here  the  company  received  its  uniforms,  and  on  the  9th  of 
October  was  formally  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  by 
Lieutenant  C.  W.  Tolles,  Thirteenth  United  States  Infantry. 

On  the  14th  the  regiment  moved  south  four  miles  to  Camp  John 
son,  'beyond  Fort  Lyon,  on  the  roaid  from  Alexandria  to  Mount  Ver- 
non.  We  were  now  in  Jameson's  brigade  of  Heintzelman's  division, 
holding  the  'extreme  left  of  the  Union  lines. 

During  the  fall  six  new  recruits  entered  the  company,  viz:  Stew 
art  W.  Fulton,  Eliphas  Highbarger,  Anthony  Greenawalt  and  Jacob 
Rinard,  from  Clarion  county,  and  Joseph  B.  Kiddoo  and  David 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  341 

Shields,  from  Sewickley,  Allegheny  county.  When  these  latter  two 
reported  to  Colonel  Hays  as  recruits  for  his  regiment,  he  assigned 
them  to  Company  F,  which  they  joined  as  privates.  The  roll  of  the 
company,  hereto  appended,  will  show  an  exceptionally  honorable 
record  for  both.  Shields  was  discharged,  in  1864,  with  the  rank 
of  captain,  at  the  age  of  20,  for  wounds  received  in  action;  and 
Kiddoo  rose  to  the  rank  of  Brigadier  General  in  the  Regular  Army. 

The  first  man  in  the  regiment  "wounded  in  action"  and  pensioned 
for  it,  was  Private  John  Lawhead,  of  this  company.  He  was  ordered 
by  the  sergeant  of  the  guard  to  assist  in  arresting  Private  Connolly, 
of  Company  H,  who  Was  drunk  and  disorderly.  In  the  struggle,  Con 
nolly  kicked  him  in  the  eye  so  severely  that  he  was  sent  to  the  hos 
pital  and  fianlly  lost  his  eye. 

Company  F  was  the  first  of  the  regiment  detailed  for  picket  duty. 
On  the  last  night  of  October,  Captain  Reid  was  ordered  to  report 
in  the  morning  to  General  Jameson  with  three  lieutenants,  100  men 
and  two  idays'  rations,  to  be  sent  to  relieve  a  company  of  Colonel 
Lujeane's  regiment,  on  the  picket  lines,  near  Acotink  Creek,  eight 
miles  out.  Lieutenant  Taylor,  of  Company  C,  volunteered  as  the 
third  lieutenant,  and  some  men  were  borrowed  from  other  com 
panies  to  make  up  the  one  hundred.  In  the  morning  General  Jame 
son  furnished  the  captain  with  printed  grand-guard  instructions,  and 
said  that  in  the  afternoon  the  brigade  officer  of  the  day  woul'd  visit 
the  lines  to  give  the  countersign  and  other  special  instructions.  The 
day  was  beautiful  and  the  march  out  was  like  going  on  a  picnic. 
The  eleven  posts  to  be  relieved  covered  about  a  mile  of  front.  The 
officers  and  men  were  distributed  among  the  posts  as  directed,  with 
a  lieutenant,  sergeant  and  sixteen  men  as  a  reserve  at  the  head 
quarters'  post.  Night  came,  but  no  brigade  officer  or  countersign, 
so  a  countersign  was  improvised  for  the  emergency,  and  the  cap 
tain  made  the  rounds,  to  give  it,  with  other  cautions,  to  the  men. 
The  darkness  was  intense,  a  cold  rain  began  to  fall  in  torrents  and 
the  wind  blew  a  furious  storm.  He  had  hardly  returned  from  the 
rounds  when  a  shot  was  fired  at  the  first  post  on  the  right,  occupied 
by  some  of  the  borrowed  men.  Going  to  learn  the  cause  he  was  told 
that  a  man  was  seen  in  front  who  did  not  halt  when  challenged. 
He  doubted  the  story,  knowing  that  with  green  men,  on  such  a  night, 
a  waving  bush,  a  ghost-like  stump  or  a  falling  twig  might  be  mis 
taken  for  an  enemy.  Renewing  his  cautionings  he  returned  to 
headquarters,  and  soon  heard  two  shots  at  the  same  post.  Again  he 
went  to  investigate.  The  story  of  seeing  men  in  front  was  repeated. 
He  repeated  his  cautions,  with  hints  'o£  a  court-martial  if  there  were 
any  more  false  alarms.  In  another  half  hour  four  shots  in  rapid  suc 
cession  were  heard  at  the  same  place.  The  reserves  were  put  under 
arms,  but  the  silence  that  ensued  was  proof  that  it  was  only  another 


342  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

false  alarm,  and  they  were  dismissed  to  sleep,  if  sleep  were  possible 
without  shelter  in  such  a  night.  The  mischief  had  now  been  done, 
and  began  to  bear  its  dreaded  fruit.  As  all  the  men  were  alike,  raw 
and  untried,  other  posts  caught  the  contagion,  and  the  firing  became 
pretty  general.  In  the  morning  the  captain  relieved  the  borrowed 
men  at  the  post  where  the  firing  started,  distributing  them  among 
other  posts,  and  on  the-  second  night  there  were  no  false  alarms. 
After  one  night's  experience  the  men  of  Company  F  became  veterans 
on  picket.  The  next  company  sent  out  from  the  regiment  had  a 
much  worse  experience.  In  consequence  of  a  similar  panic,  they 
brought  'back  a  private  killed  and  a  sergeant  wounded. 

About  the  middle  of  November  'Second  Lieutenant  Egan  resigned, 
and  on  the  22nd,  Sergeant  George  W.  McCulloch  was  promoted  to  fill 
the  vacancy. 

On  November  28th  Company  F  was  again  sent  on  picket  to  the 
same  place.  The  farm  houses  of  Pollman  and  Cash  were  just  inside 
the  -picket  line.  These  families  were  suspected  of  being  in  corres 
pondence  with  the  enemy  on  the  Occoquan,  a  few  miles  beyond  our 
lines.  On  this  occasion  Captain  Reid  had  special  instructions  to  let 
nobody  out  without  a  pass  of  even  date,  signed  by  General  McClellan. 
Towards  evening  two  ladies  and  a  boy  drove  up  on  their  return  from 
Alexandria,  having  gone  in  that  morning.  They  presented  a  pass 
signed  by  General  Montgomery,  in  command  at  Alexandria,  "good 
for  the  month  of  November."  The  captain  refused  to  pass  them. 
They  expostulated,  but  to  no  purpose.  They  put  up  for  the  night 
at  Cash's,  and  in  the  morning  sent  for  the  captain  and  renewed 
their  eloquent  pleading  to  be  allowed  to  proceed  to  their  homes. 
One  of  them  said  she  had  left  an  infant  at  home  and  that  it  was 
inhuman  thus  to  keep  a  mother  from  her  child.  The  captain  replied 
thaJt  as  he  had  left  five  infants  at  home,  he  could  sympathize  with 
her,  but  could^  not  diso<bey  orders.  He  offered,  however,  to  have  her 
baby  brought  to  her  if  she  would  write  an  order  for  it,  but  she 
rejected  the  offer  with  disdain.  In  making  it  he  strongly  suspected 
that  the  alleged  babe  was  a  myth.  The  prisoners  were  detained  at 
Cash's  until  Major  Dick,  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth,  the  brigade 
officer  of  the  day,  came  along  in  the  afternoon,  and  were  then  turned 
over  to  him. 

In  the  evening  of  that  second  day,  with  all  his  caution,  Captain 
Reid  was  thrown  off  his  guard  and  surprised  on  picket.  Returning 
from  his  rounds  to  the  central  post  at  dusk,  he  was  told  by  the  ser 
geant  that  a  farmer  living  across  the  fields,  outside  the  lines,  had 
called  an  hour  before  and  left  word  that  he  wanted  to  see  the  officer 
in  command,  that  evening,  on  important  business.  He  had  declined 
to  disclose  anything  to  the  sergeant  or  to  any  one  but  the  command 
ing  officer  in  person.  It  was  growing  dark  and  the  captain  had  not 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  343 

yet  had  supper.  Over  his  coffee  his  mind  kept  running  on  the  mys 
terious  message  of  the  farmer.  To  go  to  see  him  might  be  to  fall 
into  a  trap  and  be  captured;  yet  not  to  go,  might  be  to  reject  prof 
fered  intelligence  of  vital  importance  to  our  army.  Tomorrow  might 
be  too  late.  He  decided  to  take  the  risk  and  go.  In  the  dim  star 
light  he  took  with  him  a  sergeant  and  fifteen  men  fully  armed,  and 
crossed  the  fields  to  the  orchard  near  the  farm  house.  Here  he 
stationed  the  sergeant  and  nine  men,  as  a  reserve.  He  left  four  at 
the  gate,  and  the  remaining  two  on  the  porch,  with  orders  to  burst 
the  door  in  on  a  given  signal.  Close  to  the  house  yawned  the 
woofded  ravine  of  Acotink,  dark  and  gloomy, — just  the  place  for  an 
ambuscade.  Adjusting  his  revolver  belt,  he  knocked  and  was 
admitted.  No  one  was  visible  inside  but  the  farmer,  his  Wife  and 
children.  Declining  an  offered  seat,  the  captain  said  he  preferred 
to  receive  standing  any  communication  his  host  had  to  make, — 
eyeing,  at  the  same  time,  an  interior  door  that  stood  ajar.  Then 
said  the  farmer:  "The  company  that  was  here  before  you'ns,  bor- 
rowe'd  my  axe  and  didn't  fetch  it  'back.  I  want  you  to  see  General 
Heintzleman  and  ax  him  about  it,  as  I  need  it  bad." 

With  a  promise  to  "ax  about  it"  the  captain  gravely  bade  good 
night,  and  marched  back  with  his  detachment  without  the  loss  of 
a  man, — but  never  made  any  official  report  of  how  he  was  surprised 
on  picket. 

Skirmish  drill  in  the  fine  fall  weather  created  a  demand  for 
buglers.  Company  F  proved  to  have  a  first-class  one  in  the  person 
of  Private  Joseph  Lichenberger,  whose  proficiency  attracted  notice, 
and  he  was  soon  promote'd  to  brigade  bugler.  In  this  capacity  he 
rendered  valuable  services,  not  only  as  bugler,  but  also  as  'an  efficient 
aide  or  orderly,  as  occasion  required. 

Early  in  December,  as  the  weather  grew  colder,  this  company  set 
the  example  of  converting  their  A  tents  into  comfortable  winter 
quarters,  by  means  of  an  underpinning  of  poles  built'  log-cabin 
fashion,  and  by  fire  places  and  chimneys  of  brick,  sticks  and  mortar. 
With  snug  raised  berths  and  other  ingeniously  contrived  fixtures, 
their  quarters  became  quite  cozy  and  home-like. 

The  last  days  of  December,  Company  F  picketed  on  the  extreme 
left,  near  Mount  Vernon.  The  house  of  Mr.  Wright,  a  Quaker  and 
staunch  Union  man,  who  had  suffered  much  at  the  hands  of  the 
rebels  before  our  lines  were  extended,  was  near  headquarters,  and 
the  officers  got  their  meals  there.  While  picketing  here,  a  man  giv 
ing  his  name  as  Planchet  came  to  the  lines  asking  protection.  The 
captain  suspected  him  to  'be  a  spy,  but  Mr.  Wright  vouched  for  him 
as  a  true  Union  man  who  had  escaped  from  a  Richmond  prison.  He 
was  turned  over  to  General  Heinzleman  and  became  very  useful  as 
a  guild  e. 


344  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

January  11,  1862,  the  whole  regiment  went  on  picket  for  three 
days,  covering  seven  miles  of  front.  A  detail  of  twenty-five  men 
from  Company  P,  under  Orderly  Delo,  with  similar  details  from  other 
companies,  'went  on  a  midnight  scout  nearly  to  the  rebel  camps  on 
the  Occoquan,  and  brought  in  twelve  prisoners. 

O'n  the  20th  of  January,  1862,  Captain  Reid,  of  this  company; 
Sergeant  R.  Howard  Millar,  of  'Company  E,  and  Sergeant  William 
McLeary,  of  Company  K,  were  ordered  to  report  at  Harrisburg  to 
Captain  R.  I.  Dodge,  Eighth  United  States  Infantry,  superintendent 
of  recruiting  service  for  Pennsylvania.  By  Captain  Dodge's  orders 
they  established  a  recruiting  station  at  Clarion,  and  Captain  Reid 
sent  the  sergeants  to  establish  branch  stations  in  Allegheny  and 
Mercer  counties. 

During  February  there  were  newspaper  rumors  of  impending 
movements,  'and  Captain  Reid  made  repeated  requests  to  be  relieved 
from  recruiting  service.  The  order  finally  came  just  in  time  to 
enable  him  to  rejoin  his  company  at  Alexandria  when  embarking 
for  Fortress  Monroe,  on  the  17th  of  March. 

Among  the  recruits  thus  obtained  for  this  and  other  regiments, 
William  Minser,  Jonathan  McCurdy,  Barney  McCann,  Martin  Castner 
and  Andrew  McDonald,  all  from  Clarion  county,  were  assigned  to 
Company  F.  Alpheus  A.  George,  also  from  Clarion,  joined  a  month 
later. 

In  the  Peninsular  campaign  this  company  had  its  full  s/hare  of 
hardships  and  casualties.  On  a  reconnoisance  made  on  the  9th  of 
April,  in  front  of  Yorktown,  by  six  companies  of  the  Sixty-third, 
led  by  General  Jameson,  Colonel  Hays  and  Lieutenant  Colonel  Mor- 
gan> — Sergeant  David  Irwin,  of  Company  F,  was  killed, — the  first  of 
our  regiment  to  fall  on  the  Peninsula. 

On  the  llth  of  April  the  regiment  was  on  picket,  holding  a  line 
of  three  miles,  in  front  of  the  enemy's  works.  At  3  o'clock,  while 
Colonel  Hays  was  gallantly  repulsing  an  attack  on  the  right  wing 
at  the  Peach  Orchard,  a  bold  dash  was  made  on  the  left,  against 
that  part  of  the  line  occupied  by  Companies  H  and  F,  opposite  the 
enemy's  earthworks  at  Wynn's  Mills,  about  one  thousand  five  hun 
dred  yards  distant  across  cleared  fields.  The  rebel  skirmishers  came 
across  the  field  on  the  run,  supported  by  reserves  who  opened  a  brisk 
fusilade  on  the  plackets.  This  brought  the  reserves  of  those  two 
companies  to  the  front,  and  in  a  s'hort  time  their  well-directed  fire 
drove  the  enemy  hack  to  cover.  At  sun'down  the  assault  was 
repeated  with  the  same  result.  On  both  occasions  our  picket  line 
was  vigorously  shelled  from  the  earthworks  in  front.  During  the 
second  attack,  observing  a  body  of  skirmishers  approaching  under 
cover  of  intervening  clumps  of  bushes,  Captain  Reid  improvised  a 
signal  station  by  climbing  a  small  tree  at  the  edge  of  the  field,  to 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  345 

get  a  bird's  eye-view  and  to  direct  better  the  fire  of  his  men.  We 
had  no  casualties  on  the  left.  On  the  right,  at  the  Peach  Orchard, 
two  of  the  regiment  were  killed  and  two  wounded. 

On  the  night  of  May  3rd,  Companies  B,  D,  F  and  H  were  detailed 
for  the  perilous  duty  of  digging  rifle  pits,  to  be  occupied  by  sharp 
shooters,  at  a  spot  selected  within  about  500  yards  of  the  enemy's 
principal  fort,  to  silence  their  heavy  guns  during  the  bombardment 
about  to  open.  On  two  previous  nights  the  details  for  this  work 
had  been  driven  off.  Soon  after  dark  General  Jameson  an:d  Lieuten 
ant  Colonel  Morgan  led  the  little  band  to  the  causeway  over 
Wormsley's  Creek  and  'halted  it  there  till  the  moon  should  set,  near 
midnight.  During  those  three  hours  a  fierce  shelling  from  the  rebel 
works  filled  the  air  with  screaming  missiles.  The  luminous  track  of 
the  shells  and  their  bursting  overhead  or  plunging  into  the  pool 
nearby,  was  a  grand  sight.  When  the  moon  went  down,  the  expe 
dition  moved  up  to  the  'head  of  the  creek,  nearest  the  fort,  passed 
our  picket  line  and  'halted  just  under  the  crest,  within  200  yards  of 
the  spot  selected.  Here  Companies  D  and  H  were  left  as  a  reserve. 
Company  B  was  furnished  spades  and  shovels  for  the  work,  and  to 
Company  F  was  given  the  post  of  honor.  It  was  deployed  to  clear  the 
way  and  hold  the  groun'i  one  hundred  paces  beyond  the  pits  until 
completed.  When  it  moved  off  General  Jameson  said:  "My  God! 
it  is  hard,  but  it  must' be  done;"  so  sure  was  he  that  a  bloody 
encounter  was  inevitable.  Captain  Reid,  by  whispered  orders, 
marched  his  men  to  the  point  indicated,  and  directe'd  them  to  lie 
low  and  watch. 

By  3:30  o'clock  the  pits  were  completed  Meanwhile  the  guns  in 
the  fort  furiously  swept  the  horizon  with  shot  and  shell.  The  fort 
was  so  near  that  the  ramming  of  the  guns  and  the  orders  to  the 
gunners  were  distinctly  heard.  The  pits  were  masked  with  pine 
boughs,  and  the  sharpshooters,  with  their  provisions  and  ammuni 
tion,  placed  in  them  and  left  to  their  fate.  The  four  companies 
silently  withdrew,  and  when  once  more  sheltered  in  the  ravine  of 
Wormsley's  Creek  they  received  General  Jameson's  warmest  congrat 
ulations  on  the  success  of  their  expedition.  The  camp  was  reached 
near  daybreak,  and  shortly  after  the  men  had  lain  down  for  a  nap 
vociferous  cheering  was  heard  through  the  camps.  Yorktown  was 
evacuated!  The  guns  during  the  night  had  been  worked  by  a  small 
rear  guard  left  in  the  fort  as  a  blind,  to  cover  the  retreat  which  was 
going  on  all  night. 

Company  F  was  the  only  company  of  the  regiment  that  had  supper 
or  'breakfast  on  the  battlefield  of  Williams'burg  the  night  of  the  5th, 
and  morning  of  the  6th  of  May.  It  ha'd  rained  for  twenty-four  hours, 
and  the  passage  of  both  armies  had  left  the  road  in  a  dreadful  con 
dition.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  oth,  while  marching  to  the  music 


346  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

of  the  roar  of  battle,  three  miles  distant,  the  regiment  was  halted 
and  ordered  to  unsling  knapsacks,  haversacks,  canteens  and  blankets, 
and  double-quick  into  action.  After  a  run  of  two  miles  it  was  sent 
on  a  detour  to  the  left,  as  part  of  a  flanking  column,  and  then  coun 
termarched  to  the  front  again  on  'a  double-quick,  and  pushed  forward, 
arriving  at  the  front  just  as  night  was  falling.  With  the  darkness 
the  firing  slackened  and  soon  ceased,  and  we  lay  on  our  arms  in  line 
of  battle,  ready  to  reopen  the  fray  at  daybreak.  With  the  men's 
rations  three  miles  in  the  rear,  the  road  an  almost  bottomless  stream 
of  mud  and  water,  the  nigfot  wet  and  cold,  anid  the  men  worn  out 
by  double-quicking,  the  problem  was,  how  they  were  to  be  refreshed 
for  the  impending  battle  of  tomorrow?  To  solve  it,  Captain  Reid 
called  for  volunteers  to  go  with  him  to  bring  up  the  haversacks  and 
canteens.  Ten  of  his  men  responded,  and  he  led  them  through  the 
deep  mud  and  pitch  darkness  to  the  spot  where  three  men  of  each 
company  had  been  left  to  guard  the  cast-off  rations  and  equipments. 
Here,  after  refreshing  themselves  with  hot  coffee,  the  little  band 
loaded  themselves  up  with  the  haversacks  and  fresh  filled  canteens  of 
themselves  and  their  comrades  in  the  front,  and,  each  armed  with 
a  'long  staff  to  steady  himself  through  the  holes  and  pools  of  the 
treacherous  roa'd, — toiled  slowly  back,  reaching  their  hungry  com 
rades  about  2  a.  m. 

At  Cumberland  Landing,  on  May  17th,  seven  of  this  company  were 
reported  present  sick  and  eighteen  absent  sick.  On  the  22nd,  at 
Baltimore  Cross  Roads,  fourteen  were  reported  present  sick  and 
sixteen  absent  sick. 

At  the  battle  of  Pair  Oaks,  May  31st,  only  forty-seven  all  told, 
officers  and  men,  were  able  to  endure  the  double-quick  march  of  four 
miles  that  took  us  into  battle.  Orderly  J.  H.  Delo,  Sergeant  R.  S. 
Elgin  and  Private  G.  W.  Rliees  were  killed;  Privates  James  McCam- 
mon,  Peter  O'Neill,  Peter  Nugent  and  Frank  McCloskey  were 
woun'ded,  the  latter  mortally;  and  James  McDonald,  Andrew  McDon 
ald  and  Jonathan  McCurdy  taken  prisoners. 

On  June  15th,  out  of  a  total  roll  of  93,  there  were  3  present  sick, 
59  absent  sick  and  wounded,  3  on  permanent  and  7  on  temporary 
detached  duty,  and  only  19  men  and  2  officers  present  for  duty.  But 
on  the  19th,  11  returned  from  hospitals,  and  with  better  weather 
the  health  of  the  men  improved  considerably. 

On  the  death  of  First  Lieutenant  John  G.  McGonagle,  at  Division 
hospital,  near  Meadow  Station,  Va.,  June  21,  1862,  Second  Lieuten 
ant  George  W.  McCullodh  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant,  and 
Sergeant  George  W.  Fox  to  second  lieutenant. 

Lieutenant  Colonel  Morgan  having  been  severely  wounded  at  Fair 
Oaks,  and  Major  Kirkwood  t>eing  absent  sick,  Captain  Reid  served 
as  major  through  the  battles  and  movements  that  transferred  the 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  347 

army  from  the  Chickahominy  to  the  James  River,  Lieutenant  George 
W.  McCullooh  taking  'his  place  in  command  of  Company  F. 

In  the  advance  of  the  Third  Corps  on  the  25th  of  June,  (the  first 
of  the  "Seven  Days'  Battles"),  this  company  had  Private  William 
Greenawalt  killed  and  Privates  Philip  D.  Griffin,  John  Johnson  and 
Anthony  Greenawalt  wounded,  each  of  the  two  last  losing  an  arm. 
There  were  no  more  casualties  till  the  Battle  of  Glendale,  June  30th, 
wihen  Privates  Charles  Harpst,  John  Thompson  and  Jacob  I.  Delo 
were  wounded,  the  latter  mortally. 

While  the  army  lay  at  Harrison's  Landing,  Captain  Rei'd  was 
honorably  discharged  on  the  1st  of  August,  1862.  First  Lieutenant 
McCulloch  was  promoted  to  captain,  Second  Lieutenant  Fox  to  first 
lieutenant.  Under  Captain  McCulloch  and  his  lieutenants,  this  com 
pany  sustained  its  reputation  for  bravery,  good  discipline  and  endur 
ance. 

The  deaths  in  Company  F,  (other  than  those  alrea'dy  mentioned), 
from  its  organization  till  the  army  was  withdrawn  from  the  Penin 
sula,  were  as  follows:  Christian  Smathers,  at  Alexandria,  March 
18th;  Thomas  M.  Frazier,  April  15th,  and  Franklin  Gathers,  April 
22nd,  both  in  front  of  Yorktown;  Corporal  Dunmire,  May  31st; 
David  Woodruff,  June  llth;  William  A.  Paup,  June  12th,  and  John 
Reed,  June  24th,  all  at  hospital  near  Meadow  Station;  John  Baum- 
gardner,  June  30th,  near  Savage  Station;  Marcus  J.  McLaughlin, 
July  3rd,  and  Sergeant  Curtis  C.  Zink,  August  10th,  both  at 
Harrison's  Landing.  Private  George  W.  McMichael,  who  was  left 
sick  June  29-th,  at  Division  hospital,  near  Savage  Station,  (along 
with  Private  Baumgardner  above  named),  unable  to  be  removed, 
was  captured  and  died  at  Richmond,  September  20th;  and  Sergeant 
John  Kuhns,  sent  sick  from  Harrison's  Landing,  died  at  Philadel 
phia,  Pa.,  September  26,  1862.  Private  Henry  L.  Highbarger  died 
September  3,  1862,  at  hospital  near  Fortress  Monroe. 

William  Elder  and  James  Truby  joined  as  recruits  from  Clarion 
county,  August  18,  1862. 

At  Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862,  Company  F  suffered 
severely.  Sergeant  John  R.  Guthrie  and  Privates  Henry  Shoup  and 
Jo'hn  Thompson  were  killed,  and  First  Lieutenant  George  W.  Fox, 
Sergeant  James  Waley,  Corporal  Thomas  H.  Martin  and  Privates 
Martin  Castner,  Joseph  S.  Elder,  Eliphas  Highbarger,  Daniel  O'Neill, 
Alfred  T.  Rence,  John  G.  Richards  and 'James  Sample  were  wounded. 

At  Fredericksburg,  December  13,  1862,  Private  Benjamin  P. 
Hilliard  was  slightly  wounded,  and  Private  WTilliam  M.  Thompson 
taken  prisoner. 

At  Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863,  Captain  McCulloch,  Lieutenant 
Fenstermaker,  Corporals  A.  P.  Refner  and  Joseph  Loll  and  Privates 
Stewart  W.  Fulton  and  James  McDonald  were  wounded. 


348  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

At  Gettysburg,  July  3,  1863,  Lieutenant.  Fenstermaker,  Sergeant 
John  A.  Griffin  and  Privates  Adam  Potter  and  P.  D.  Griffin  were 
wounded. 

In  September,  1863,  twenty-five  conscripts  (drafte'd  from  Western 
Pennsylvania  in  July  and  September)  joined  this  company  for  duty, 
viz.:  Andrew  Alderman,  John  P.  Amment,  Conrad  Barstock,  James 
Bryan,  Robert  H.  Bruce,  Thomas  Bryant,  Harrison  Callen,  James 
Curtin,  John  Donley,  Adam  Fry,  Shadrach  Fuller,  James  Gallagher, 
Archibald  Gilchrist,  George  B.  Hartzel,  John  Heffelfinger,  Jonathan 
P.  Johnson,  William  Klink,  John  Leech,  James  McGeary,  Josepli 
Orbin,  Silas  Shall,  George  Shivers,  Philip  Sutton,  Adam  Wentzel  and 
James  Wilson. 

In  November,  1863,  Archy  Jones  joined  as  a  recruit  from  Indiana 
county,  and  in  January,  February  and  March,  1864,  nine  other 
recruits  were  assigned  to  this  company,  viz.:  Michael  Ferguson, 
John  Gilchrist,  John  Huck,  James  R.  Loudon,  Robert  McBride,  John 
McDonald,  David  McKibben,  Thomas  McMunn  and  James  W.  Shawl. 

At  Morton's  Ford,  February  6,  1864.  Lieutenant  David  Shields, 
of  this  company,  serving  as  aide  to  General  Alexander  Hays,  was 
severely  wounded. 

In  no  battle  of  the  war  did  this  company  suffer  so  severely  as  at 
the  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5  and  6,  1864.  Its  late  captain,  George 
W.  McCulloch,  promoted  to  major  only  a  month  before,  succeeded  to 
the  comman'd  of  the  regiment  in  the  second  day's  fight,  and  was 
killed  while  gallantly  charging  the  enemy.  The  company  casualties 
were  Sergeant  James  WTaley,  Corporal  James  Hamilton,  and  Privates 
James  Wilson  and  James  Gallagher,  killed;  Sergeants  A.  P.  Refner, 
John  A.  Griffin  and  William  L.  Hall,  Corporals  Joseph  Loll,  William 
Blair  and  James  McBride,  and  Privates  John  Cyphert,  Andrew  Basim, 
Adam  Fry,  John  B.  Denslinger,  William  Elder,  Harrison  Callen,  G.  B. 
Hartzel,  Gregory  Lawrence,  Archy  Jones,  Hugh  P.  McKee,  Michael 
Ferguson,  William  M.  Thompson,  Anthony  Torry  and  James  R. 
Loudon  were  wounded.  Of  the  wounded,  Corporal  Denslinger  was 
missing,  an'd  Corporal  Blair  and  Privates  Basim,  William  Elder  and 
Harrison  Callen  died  soon  after  of  their  wounds.  Private  Jonas 
Highbarger  was  mortally  wounded  at  Spottsylvania,  May  12,  1864. 

At  North  Anna,  May  23,  1864,  Privates  J.  0.  Delp  and  Gregory 
Lawrence  were  wounded. 

In  the  operations  before  Petersburg,  in  1864,  only  five  of  this 
company  were  wounded,  viz.:  First  Lieutenant  Fenstermaker,  June 
16;  Private  Joseph  Orbin,  June  22;  Private  Adam  Wentzell,  August 
14;  Private  Anthony  Torry,  in  September,  losing  a  foot,  and  Private 
William  J.  Dunlap,  November  1st,  losing  an  eye. 

In  an  engagement  at  Boydton  Plank  Road,  Va.,  October  27,  1864, 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  349 

Private   Andrew   Alderman   was    woun'ded,    and    Corporal   Alexander 
Goble  and  Private  Peter  B.  Hartzell  were  wounded  and  captured. 

When  the  five  soldiers  last  named  were  wounded  they  were  serving 
in  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers,  to  which  they,  with  thirty-two  others  of  Company  F,  had 
been  transferred.  On  the  7th  of  September,  1864,  twelve  members 
of  Company  F  (all  of  the  original  members,  who  were  present  for 
duty  anid  had  not  re-enlisted  as  veterans)  were  mustered  out  with 
the  regiment,  their  term  of  enlistment  having  expired.  Those  present 
for  duty  and  not  thus  mustered  out  were  transferred  provisionally 
to  the  Ninety-ninth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  and,  on  the 
19th,  to  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  in  which  they 
remained  until  finally  discharged. 

ROSTER. 

BERNARD  J.  REID,  Captain — Mustered  in  September  23,  1861. 
Honorably  discharged  August  1,  1862;  re-enlisted  June  26,  1863, 
as  Captain  of  Company  D,  Fifty-seventh  Pennsylvania  Militia; 
commissioned  Major,  July  8,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  regi 
ment.  Died  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  November  15,  1904.  Buried  Cal 
vary  cemetery,  Pittsburgh. 

GEORGE  W.  McCULLOCH,  Captain — 'Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Sergeant,  September  23,  1861;  to  Second  Lieuten 
ant,  November  22,  1861;  to  First  Lieutenant,  June  23,  1862;  to 
Captain,  August  4,  1862.  Wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  May  3, 
1863;  promoted  to  Major,  April  5,  1864.  Killed  in  Wilderness, 
May  6,  1864.  Buried  at  Arlington  cemtery,  tomb  5225. 

DAVID  SHIELDS,  Captain — Mustered  in  October  15,  1861.  Pro 
moted  from  private  to  Corporal,  June  1,  1862;  to  Sergeant, 
September,  1862;  to  Second  Lieutenant,  to  date  from  August  4, 
1862;  detailed  by  special  order  No.  9,  A.  G.  office,  January  7, 

1863,  as  personal  aid-'de-camp  to  General  Alexander  Hays;  com 
missioned  Captain,   April    5,    1864.      Wounded   in   right   leg  at 
Glendale,   Va.,   June    30,    1862;    in   right   shoulder   by   piece   of 
shell,  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  3,  1863,  and  through  left  breast 
and  in  right  foot,  at  Morton's  Ford,  Va.,  February  6,  1864,  an 
explosive    bullet    passing    through    the    lung    and    pericardium, 
exploding  immediately  at  its  exit  from  the  body,  leaving  numer 
ous  pieces  of  lead  on  outer  edge  of  wound.     Discharged  June  9, 

1864,  on  account  of  wounds  received  in  action. 

JOHN  G.  McGONAGLE,  First  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  September 
23,  1861.  Died  of  typhoid  pneumonia  near  Meadow  Station, 
Va.,  June  21,  1862. 

GEORGE  Wr.  FOX,  First  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Sergeant,  September  23,  1861;  to  First  Sergeant, 
June  1,  1862;  to  Second  Lieutenant,  June  23,  1862;  to  First 
Lieutenant,  August  4,  1862.  Discharged  March  1,  1863,  for 
wounds  received  at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 
Commissioned  to  First  Lieutenant  in  Invalid  Corps,  September, 
1863;  transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  1864.  Honorably 
discharged  November,  1865. 


350  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

ISAAC  N.  FEXSTERMAKER,  First  Lieutenant.  Mustered  in  August 
1,  1861.  Promoted  to  Corporal,  June  30,  1862;  to  First  Ser 
geant,  August  30,  1862;  to  First  Lieutenant,  February  22,  1863. 
Wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863;  at  Gettysburg,  July 
3,  1863;  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  June  16,  1864.  Discharged  July 
23,  1864.  Died  at  Clarion,  Pa.,  December  27,  1877. 

LAWRENCE  EGAN,  Second  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  September  23, 

1861.  Elected  Second  Lieutenant,  September  23,  1861;  resigned 
November  19,  1861.     Died  at  hospital,  Baltimore,  1862. 

JOSHUA    H.    DELO,   First   Sergeant — Mustered    in   August    1,    1861. 

Appointed  First  Sergeant,  September  23,  1861.     Killed  at  Fair 

Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 
CURTIS    C.    ZINK,    First    Sergeant — Mustered    in    August    1,    1861. 

Appointed  Second  Sergeant,   September  23,   1861;    promoted  to 

First  Sergeant,  June  23,  1862.     Died  at  Harrison's  Landing,  Va., 

August  10,  1862. 

JOSEPH  B.  KIDDOO,  First  Sergeant — Mustered  in  November  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Fifth  Corporal,  November  22,  1861;  to  Corporal, 
April  12,  1862;  to  Fourth  Sergeant,  June  1,  1862;  to  First 
Sergeant,  August  10,  1862,  and  detailed  on  recruiting  service. 
August  25,  1862,  commissioned  Lieutenant  Colonel  One  Hun 
dred  and  Thirty-seventh  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers; 
Colonel,  March  15,  1863.  Mustered  out  June  1,  1863.  Com 
missioned  Major,  Sixth  United  States  Colored  Troops,  October 
5,  1863;  Colonel,  Twenty-second  United  States  Colored  Troops, 
January  6,  1864;  wounded  in  action  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  October 
27,  1864;  Brigadier  General  of  Volunteers  by  brevet,  June  15, 
1865;  and  Major  General  Volunteers  by  brevet,  September  4, 
1865,  "for  gallant  and  meritorious  service  during  the  war;" 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Forty-third  Infantry,  U.  S.  A.,  July  28,  1866; 
Colonel  by  brevet,  March  2,  1867,  "for  gallant  and  meritorious 
service  in  the  assault  on  Petersburg,  Va.,  June  15,  1864; 
Brigadier  General,  U.  S.  A.,  by  brevet,  March  2,  1867,  "for 
gallant  and  meritorious  service  in  action  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va., 
October  27,  1864;"  retired  with  rank  of  Brigadier  General,  U. 
S.  A.,  December  15,  1870,  "for  wounds  received  in  line  of  duty." 
Died  holding  that  rank,  at  New  York  City,  August  18,  1880. 

JOHN  R.  GUTHRIE,  First  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Appointed  Fourth  Sergeant,  September  23,  1861;  promoted  to 
Third  Sergeant,  June  1,  1862;  to  First  Sergeant,  August  10, 

1862.  Killed  at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 
JAMES    WALEY,    First    Sergeant.      Mustered    in    August    1,    1861. 

Appointed  Third  Corporal,  September  23,  1861;  promoted  to 
Second  Corporal,  April  12,  1862;  to  First  Corporal,  June  1, 
1862;  to  Sergeant,  July  15,  1862.  Wounded  at  Second  Bull 
Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Promoted  to  First  Sergeant,  Novem 
ber,  1863.  Re-enlisted  as  Veteran  Volunteer,  December  28, 

1863.  Killed  at  Wilderness,  Va.,   May   5,   1864. 
ANTHONY   P.    REFNER,    First    Sergeant. — Mustered    in    August    1, 

1861.  Promoted  to  Corporal,  April,  1863.  Wounded  at  Chancel 
lorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  Promoted  to  Second  Sergeant,  Octo 
ber  31,  1863.  Re-enlisted  as  Veteran  Volunteer.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Promoted  to"  First  Sergeant, 
May,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  351 

WILLIAM  L.  HALL,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Corporal,  June  1,  1862;  to  Second  Sergeant,  October, 
1863.  Wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Discharged 
for  wounds,  October  25,  1864.  Died  in  Kansas,  about  1875. 

MICHAEL  KEMPF,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Corporal,  1862;  to  Sergeant,  July  18,  1863;  to  Third 
Sergeant,  October,  1863.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Transferred  to 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

JOHN  A.  GRIFFIN,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Eighth  Corporal,  April  12,  1862;  to  Third  Corporal, 
June  3,  1862;  to  Sergeant,  November,  1862.  Wounded  at 
Gettysburg,  July  3,  1863;  wounded  and  captured  at  Wilderness, 
Va.,  May  6,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  at  Red- 
bank,  Pa.,  April  25,  1866. 

DAVID  IRWIN,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Corporal,  September  23,  1861;  to  Sergeant,  November  22, 

1861.  Killed  in  a  reconnoissance  near  Yorktown,  Va.,  April  9, 

1862.  Buried  at  Reidsburgh,  Pa. 

ROBERT  S.  ELGIN,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Appointed  First  Corporal,  September  23,  1861;  promoted  to 
Sergeant,  April  12,  1862.  Killed  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31, 
1862. 

JOHN  KUHNS,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Appointed 
First  Corporal,  September  23,  1861;  promoted  to  Sergeant,  June 
1,  1862.  Died  at  hospital,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  September  26, 
1862. 

JAMES  McBRIDE,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Second  Corporal,  October,  1863.  Veteran  Volunteer. 
Wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864,  and  at  Saylor  Creek, 
Va.  Transferred  to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JAMES  SAMPLE,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded 
at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Veteran  Volunteer. 
Transferred  to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JOSEPH  LOLL,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Corporal,  April,  1863;  to  First  Corporal,  November  1,  1863. 
Wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  Re-enlisted  as 
Veteran  Volunteer.  Wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864. 
Transferred  to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  June  7,  1897,  at  Fryburg, 
Clarion  county,  Pa. 

THOMAS  H.  MARTIN,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Appointed  Sixth  Corporal,  September  23,  1861,  and  detailed  as 
color  guard.  Promoted  to  Fifth  Corporal,  April  12,  1862;  to 
Second  Corporal,  June  1,  1862.  Wounded  at  Second  Bull  Run, 
Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Discharged  on  account  of  wounds,  Octo 
ber  31,  1862.  -Died  at  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  while  marching 
in  parade,  National  Encampment  G.  A.  R.  Buried  Washington, 
D.  C. 

DAVID  R.  DUNMIRE,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Appointed  Fourth  Corporal,  September  23,  1861;  promoted  to 
Third  Corpooral,  April  12,  1862.  Died  of  fever  in  camp  hos 
pital  near  Meadow  Station,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 


352  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

ADAM  POTTER,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Appointed 
Seventh  Corporal,  September  23,  1861.  Captured  near  New 
Kent  Court  House,  Va.,  June  30,  1862.  Wounded  at  Gettys 
burg,  July  3,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company  K,  Ninth  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps,  December  22,  1863;  to  Thirty-second  Company, 
Second  Battalion  Veteran  Reserve  Corps. 

JOHN  STEWART,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Appointed 
Eighth  Corporal,  September  23,  1861;  promoted  to  Seventh  Cor 
poral,  April  12,  1862'.  Discharged  for  disability  June  21,  1862. 
Died  since  the  war. 

HUGH  P.  McKEE,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Fourth  Corporal,  June  1,  1862.  Wounded  at  Wilderness, 
Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

STEWART  W.  FULTON,  Corporal — Mustered  in  October  15,  1861. 
Wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863;  promoted  to 
Third  Corporal,  May,  1863.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Transferred  to 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

ALEXANDER  GOBLE,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Corporal,  1863.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Transferred  to 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Wounded  at  Hatcher's  Run,  Va.,  October  27,  1864. 

JOHN  NEWHOUSE,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Fifth  Corporal,  December  28,  1863.  Veteran  Volun 
teer.  Transferred  to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Wounded  and  captured  at 
Boydton  Plank  Road,  Va.,  October  27,  1864. 

JAMES  HAMILTON,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Corporal,  1863.  Killed  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5, 
1864. 

WILLIAM  BLAIR,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Corporal,  1863.  Died  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  May  21,  1864, 
of  wounds  received  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Buried 
National  cemetery,  Arlington,  Va.,  grave  769. 

JOHN  B.  DENSLINGER,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Corporal,  1864.  Wounded  and  missing  in  action  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Fate  unknown. 

JAMES  McDONALD,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Cap 
tured  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Exchanged  September 
13,  1862.  Promoteid  to  Corporal,  May  1,  1863.  Wounded  at 
Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  Discharged  August  28, 

1863,  on  surgeon's  certificate.     Died  Clarion,  Pa.,  1890. 

JONATHAN  McCURDY,  Corporal — Joined  company  February  27, 
1862.  Captured  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Veteran 
Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JAMES  TRUBY,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  18,  1862.  Trans 
ferred  to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Penn 
sylvania  Volunteers.  Wounded  at  Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  12, 

1864,  and  at  Hatcher's  Run,  Va.,  October  27,  1864. 

JOHN  HUCK,  Corporal — Enlisted  February  27,  1864.  Transferred 
to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  353 

AMI  WHITEHILL,  Fifer — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered 
out  with  company.  Died  1900. 

BENJAMIN  P.  HILLIARD,  Drummer — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Transferred  to  ranks  October  26,  1861.  Wounded  at  Fredericks- 
burg,  Va.,  December  13,  1862.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

PRESTON  H.  MOODIE,  Teamster — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Transferred  to  ranks  May  1,  1862.  Discharged  January  27, 
1863,  for  disability.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOSEPH  LICHENBERGER,  Bugler — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Enlisted  as  private.  Appointed  Company  Bugler,  October,  1861; 
soon  after,  Regimental  Bugler;  Brigade  Bugler,  1862;  Division 
Bugler,  1863.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Transferred  to  non-com 
missioned  field  and  staff  as  Fife  Major,  August  1,  1864.  Died 
in  Clarion  county,  Pa.,  May  18,  1875. 

PRIVATES. 

JAMES  BARR — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  December  10,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

ANDREW  BASIM — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  with 
loss  of  leg  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Died  at  Fredericks- 
burg,  Va.,  May  18,  1864. 

JOHN  BAUMGARDNER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Captured 
sick,  and  died  near  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  June  30,  1862. 

HENRY  BEER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  October  31,  1862. 

THOMAS  BOLTON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  for 
disability,  February  11,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  CAMPBELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
for  disability,  September  25,  1862. 

JOHN  S.  CROOKS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at  Potomac 
Creek,  Va.,  June  3,  1863. 

EMANUEL  CUSSINS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  for 
disability,  September  29,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  CYPHERT — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company. 
Died  since  the  war. 

MARTIN  CASTNER — Mustered  in  March  14,  1862.  Wounded  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Discharged  January 
18,  1863.  Died  March  27,  1902,  at  North  Pine  Grove,  Pa. 

ISAIAH  K.  DALE— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company. 

JAMES  O.  DELP — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran  Volunteer. 
Wounded  at  North  Anna,  Va.,  May  23,  1864.  Transferred 
to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

WILLIAM  J.  DUNLAP — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran 
Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Wounded  with  loss  of 
right  eye  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  November  1,  1864.  Captured 
November  1,  1864.  Served  three  months  in  Libby  Prison.  Dis 
charged  July  29,  1865. 


354  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

PHILIP  DAUM — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  May  10,  1863, 
at  Potomac  Creek,  Va. 

JACOB  I.  DELO — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Glen- 
dale,  Va.,  June  30,  1862.  Taken  prisoner  July  1,  1862.  Died 
November  28,  1862,  at  Wilkinsburg,  Pa. 

SHUGART  J.  ELDER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  'November  22,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

PINADY  ESHELMAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at 
Washington,  D.  C.,  en  route  home  on  sick  furlough,  April  25, 

1863.  Buried  in  Military  Asylum  cemetery,  Washington,  D.  C., 
grave  4303. 

WILLIAM  ELDER — Enlisted  September  1,  1862.  Mortally  wounded 
at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Died  May  30,  1864,  and 
buried  in  National  cemetery,  Arlington,  Va.,  grave  600. 

BERNARD  FAROUST — 'Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Transferred 
to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  September  16,  1863.  Died  since  the 
war. 

THOMAS  M.  FRAZIER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  in  camp 
near  Yorktown,  Va.,  April  15,  1862. 

MICHAEL  FERGUSON — Enlisted  March  28,  1864.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  H,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JOHN  GILFORD — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company. 

WILLIAM  GREEN  A  WALT — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  in 
action  near  Fair  O'aks,  Va.,  June  25,  1862. 

ANTHONY  GREEN  A  WALT — Enlisted  November  15,  1861.  Wounded 
with  loss  of  arm  near  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  June  25,  1862.  Dis 
charged  August  8,  1862.  Died  at  Clarion,  Pa.,  November  17, 
1892. 

PHILIP  D.  GRIFFIN— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  near 
Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  June  25,  1862,  and  at  Gettysburg,  July  3,  1863. 
Transferred  to  Company  H,  Twenty-fourth  Regiment,  Volunteer 
Reserve  Corps.  Discharged  on  account  of  wounds,  May  20, 

1864.  Died  National  Military  Home,  Ohio,  December  15,  1903. 
Grave  28,  section  N,  row  19. 

ALPHEUS  A.  GEORGE — Enlisted  April  13,  1862.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  August  17,  1862. 

JOHN  GILCHRIST — -Enlisted  January  28,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

CHARLES  HARBST — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Glendale,  Va.,  June  30,  1862;  discharged  on  surgeon's  certifi 
cate,  February  18,  1863.  Died  at  Clarion,  Pa.,  December  27, 
1889. 

HENRY  L.  HIGHBERGER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died 
September  3,  1862,  at  hospital  near  Fort  Monroe,  Va. 

JOHN  JOHNSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded,  with  loss 
of  arm,  near  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  June  25,  1862.  Discharged 
August  8,  1862.  Died  at  Strattanville,  Clarion  county,  Pa., 
February  14,  1865. 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT 

JONAS  HIGHBERGER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran 
Volunteer.  Mortally  wounded  and  missing  in  action  at  Spott- 
sylvania,  Va.,  May  12,  1864. 

ELIPHAS  HIGHBERGER — Mustered  in  October  15,  1861.  Wounded 
at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Discharged  April  7, 

1863,  on  surgeon's  certificate. 

ARCHY  JONES — Enlisted  November  2,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Wounded  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  March  25, 
1865.  Died  April  25,  1865.  Buried  at  National  cemetery, 
Arlington,  Va. 

DAVID  S.  KEISER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Captured  sick 
at  hospital,  near  Meadow  Station,  Va.,  June  30,  1862.  Released 
September  1,  1862.  Discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  Febru 
ary  4,  1863. 

JOHN  LAWHEAD — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  in  eye 
in  line  of  duty  at  Camp  Johnston,  Va.,  November,  1861.  Dis 
charged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  May  28,  1862.  Died  since  the 
war. 

GREGORY  LAWRENCE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864,  and  at  North  Anna,  Va.,  May  23, 

1864.  Mustered  out  with  company.     Died  at  Jamestown,  N.  Y., 
about  1884. 

JAMES  R.  LOUDON — Enlisted  February  25,  1864.  Wounded  May 
5,  1864,  at  Wilderness,  Va.  Transferred  to  Company  H,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JACOB  MENTZER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  for 
disability,  November  21,  1862. 

WILLIAM  MINSER — Enlisted  Fe'bruary  1,  1862.  Transferred  to 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  September  29,  1901,  at  New  Rimersburg,  Pa. 

JAMES  McCAMMON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Discharged  on  surgeon's  certifi 
cate,  September  22,  1862.  Re-enlisted  July  5,  1863,  in  Com 
pany  A,  First  Battalion,  Pennsylvania  Cavalry.  Discharged 
December  26,  1863.  Re-enlisted  March  28,  1864,  in  Company 
B,  Second  Pennsylvania  Veteran  Artillery.  Wounded  June  17, 
1864,  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va.  Died  April  20,  1906,  at 
Clarion,  Pa. 

WILLIAM  McCASKEY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate  at  Philadelphia,  June  20,  1862. 
Re-enlisted  in  Second  Pennsylvania  Heavy  Artillery,  February, 
1864.  Died  in  service,  September  30,  1864. 

FRANCIS  P.  McCLOSKEY — Mustered  in  August  .1,  1861.  Wounded 
at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Died  at  Washington,  D.  C., 
August  1,  1862.  Buried  in  Military  Asylum  cemetery,  Wash 
ington,  D.  C.,  grave  2963. 

MARCUS  J.  MCLAUGHLIN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at 
Harrison's  Landing,  Va.,  July  3,  1862.  Buried  National  ceme 
tery,  Glendale,  Va.,  grave  5,  section  D. 

GEORGE  W.  McMICHAEL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Captured 
sick,  near  Meadow  Station,  Va.,  June  30,  1862.  Died  at  Rich 
mond,  Va.,  September  20,  1862. 


356  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

BARNEY  McCANN — Enlisted  January  30,  1862.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  Octo'ber  2,  1862.  Re-enlisted  June  26, 
1863,  in  Company  D,  Second  Battalion,  Six  Months'  Pennsyl 
vania  Volunteers.  Died  in  1902  at  Brookville,  Pa. 

ROBERT  McBRIDE — Enlisted  February  25,  1864.  Died  near 
Brandy  Station,  Va.,  April  8,  1864. 

ANDREW  McDONALD — Enlisted  February  21,  1862.  Captured  at 
Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Released  September  13,  1862. 
Transferred  to  Company  G,  Second  United  States  Cavalry, 
November  5,  1862.  Discharged  with  rank  of  Sergeant.  Died  at 
Black's  Corners,  Clarion  county,  Pa.,  March  9,  1883. 

JOHN  McDONALD — Enlisted  February  25,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  at  Beverly,  N.  J.,  October  27,  1864. 

DAVID  McKIBBEN — Enlisted  February  27,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth.  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

THOMAS  McMUNN — Enlisted  February  27,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

PETER  NUGENT — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate, 
September  26,  1862. 

DANIEL  O'NEILL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Sec 
ond  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Mustered  out  with  com 
pany.  Died  in  the  west  a'bout  1875. 

PETER  O'NEILL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to  Fifth 
Corporal  and  to  Second  Sergeant.  Wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va., 
May  31,  1862.  Discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  November 
9,  1862. 

WILLIAM  A.  PAUP — 'Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at  hospital, 
near  Meadow  Station,  Va.,  June  12,  1862. 

ALFRED  T.  RE'NCE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862.  Transferred  to  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps,  April  14,  1864.  Discharged  August  8,  1864. 
Died  at  Duke  Centre,  Pa.,  1885. 

JOHN  REED — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  in  hospital,  near 
Meadow  Station,  Va.,  June  24,  1862. 

GEORGE  W.  REMEL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Prisoner  from 
June  30  to  July,  1862.  Deserted  November  16,  1862.  Died  in 
Fayette  county,  Pa.,  1887. 

GEORGE  W.  RHEES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 

SAMUEL  K.  RICHARDS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Transferred 
to  Battery  B,  First  New  Jersey  Artillery,  September,  1862. 
Re-transferred  to  this  company  April,  1864.  Wounded  at 
Gettysburg,  July  2,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

JOHN  G.  RICHARDS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  January  10,  1862. 

ANDREW  E.  RUSSELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Detached  on 
signal  service,  January  8,  1862.  Mustered  out  with  company. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  357 

JACOB  RINARD — Mustered  in  November  25,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  June  21,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

HENRY  SHOUP — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  in  action  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

ALDEN  SLOCUM — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  June 
23,  1862,  for  disability.  Died  Forest  county,  Pa.,  May  5,  1867. 

CHRISTIAN  SMATHERS-^Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at 
Alexandria,  Va.,  March  18,  1862. 

SYLVESTER  STRAUB — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  while  on  sick  furlough,  April  28,  1863. 

JOHN  A.  STROUP — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  May  8, 
1862,  for  disability.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  W.  SHAWL — Enlisted  February  27,  1864.  Transferred  to 
'Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  THOMPSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Glendale,  Va.,  June  30,  1862.  Killed  in  action  at  Second  Bull 
Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

WILLIAM  M.  THOMPSON — 'Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Captured 
at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  December  13,  1862.  Wounded  at  Wilder 
ness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died 
September  8,  1894. 

ANTHONY  TORRY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran  Volun 
teer.  Wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Transferred 
to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Wounded  with  loss  of  foot  at  Petersburg,  Va., 
September,  1864.  Died  at  Clarion,  Pa.,  April  22,  1884. 

JOHN  TYLER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Transferred  to  First 
Regiment,  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  September  30,  1863.  Died 
at  Washington,  D.  C.,  January  12,  1864. 

JOHN  VOERHAUER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Detailed  for 
duty  at  Brigade  Headquarters,  October,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  Beaver  Falls,  Pa.,  September  22,  1890. 

ABRAHAM  WILES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  February  21,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  WILKINSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  February  3,  1862. 

DAVID  WOODRUFF — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  June  11, 
1862,  at  hospital,  near  Meadow  Station,  Va. 

CONSCRIPTS. 

The  following  conscripts,  drafted  in  Western  Pennsylvania  in  July 
and  September,  were  assigned  to  this  company  in  September,  1863: 

ANDREW  ALDERMAN — 'Drafted  September  9,  1863.  Died  of 
wounds  received  in  action  at  Boydton  Plank  Road,  Va.,  October 
27,  1864. 

JOHN  F.  AMMENT — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 


358  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

CONRAD  BARSTOCK — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  BRINE — Drafted  September  9,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  H.  BRUCE — Drafted  July  13,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

THOMAS  BRYANT — Drafted  September  9>  1863.  Captured  at 
Locust  Grove,  Va.,  November  27,  1863.  Died  at  Richmond,  Va., 
December  17,  1863. 

HARRISON  C ALLEN — Drafted  July  18',  1863.  Wounded  at  Wilder 
ness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Died  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  May  17, 
1864. 

JAMES  CURTIN — Drafted  September  5,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  DONLEY — Drafted  September  4,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

ADAM  (OR  ANDREW)  FRY — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Transferred 
to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

SHADRACH  FULLER — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Deserted  September 
27,  1863,  near  Culpepper  Court  House,  Va. 

JAMES  GALLAGHER — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Killed  in  action  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864. 

ARCHIBALD  GILCHRIST — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  B.  HARTZELL — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  H,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Wounded  and  captured  at  Boydton  Plank  Road,  Va.,  October  27, 
1864.  Died  at  Salisbury,  N.  C.,  January  28,  1865. 

JOHN  HEFFELFINGER — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Died  December 
10,  1863,  near  Brandy  Station,  Va.  Buried  National  cemetery, 
Culpepper,  Va.  Grave  350. 

JONA  P.  JOHNSON — Captured  1863.  Died  at  Andersonville,  Ga., 
September  20,  1864. 

WILLIAM  KLINK — Drafted  -  — .  Transferred  to  Com 

pany  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  LEECH — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Died  January  11,  1864, 
near  Brandy  Station,  Va. 

JAMES  McGEARY — Drafted  -  — .  Transferred  to  Com 

pany  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

PHILIP  SUTTON — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Transf erred  to  Com 
pany  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  359 

JOSEPH  ORBIN — Drafted  —  — .      Wounded   in  front  of 

Petersburg,  June  22,   1864..     Died  at  Washington,  D.   C.,  July 

20,    1864.      Buried    National    cemetery,    Arlington,    Va.,    grave 

5603. 
SILAS  SCHALL — Drafted   July   18,   1863.      Died  January   16,   1864, 

at  Convalescent  Camp,  Va. 
GEORGE  SHIVERS— Drafted  -  — .     Deserted  September 

27,  1863. 
ADAM    W^ENTZELL — Drafted    July    18,    1863.      Wounded    at    Deep 

Bottom,  Va.,  August   14,   1864. 
JAMES  WILSON — Drafted  July  11,  1863.     Killed  at  Wilderness,  Va., 

May  5,  1864. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Commissioned  'Officers  on  roll 7 

Non-commissioned  officers  on  roll 30 

Privates  on  roll  as  volunteers 80 

Privates  on  roll  as  conscripts 25 


Total    officers,    non-commissioned    and   priv 
ates    142 

Killed  in  action .*  13 

Died  of  wounds  received  in  action 12 

Wounded  in  action 51 

Wounded  in  two  or  more  actions 13 

Discharged  for  wounds  received  in  action 23 

Died  in  service,  'of  sickness 25 

Discharged  for  disability 18 

Missing  in  action  and  fate  unknown 1 

Captured  sick  at  hospitals 4 

Captured  in  battle 10 

Re-enlisted  in  this  company  as  veterans 15 

Re-enlisted  in  other  commands  after  discharge.  .      6 
Mustered  out  with  company,  September  12,  1864    12 
Transferred  to  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  September  19,  1864.    37 

ORIGINAL  ROLL  OF  CAPTAIN   B.   J.   REID'S  COMPANY. 
MUSTERED    INTO    THE    SIXTY-THIRD    REGIMENT,    PENNSYL 
VANIA  VOLUNTEERS,   AS  COMPANY   F. 

Captain — Bernard  J.  Reid. 
First  Lieutenant — J.   G.   McGonagle. 
Second  Lieutenant — Lawrence  Egan. 
First  Sergeant — Joshua  H.  Delo. 
"Second  Sergeant — C.  C.  Zink. 
Third  Sergeant — George  W.  Fox. 
Fourth  Sergeant — J.  R.  Guthrie. 
Fifth  Sergeant — G.  W.  McCulloch. 
First  Corporal — John  Kuhns. 
*Second  Corporal — R.  Sloan  Elgin. 
Third  Corporal — James  Walley. 
Fourth  Corporal — D.  R.  Dunmire. 


360  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

Fifth   Corporal — David    Irvin. 
Sixth   Corporal — T.    H.    Martin. 
Seventh  Corporal — Adam  Potter. 
*  Eighth  Corporal — John  Stewart. 
First  Musician — A.  Whitehill. 
Second  Musician — B.  P.  Hilliard. 
Teamster — Preston   H.    Moodie. 


*Indicates  second  squad  sent  forward,  September  17,  1861. 

PRIVATES. 

James  Barr,  Andrew  Basom,  *Jo'hn  Baumgarden,  *  Henry  Beer, 
*William  Blair,  Thomas  Bolton,  *Franklln  Gathers,  *William  Camp 
bell,  John  S.  Crooks,  *Emanuel  Cussins,  John  Cyphert,  Isaiah  K. 
Dale,  *Philip  Daum,  James  O.  Delp,  Jacob  I.  Delo,  J'ohn  B.  Den- 
slinger,  William  J.  Dunlap,  *Shugart  J.  Elder,  *Finady  Eshelman, 
Isaac  W.  Fenstermaker,  *  Bernard  Faroust,  Thomas  M.  Frazier,  *John 
Gilford,  Andrew  Goble,  William  Greenawalt,  *Phillip  D.  Griffin, 
*John  A.  Griffin,  *James  Hamilton,  William  L.  Hall,  Charles  Harbst, 
Henry'  L.  Highberger,  Jonas  Highberger,  John  Johnston,  *David  S. 
Keiser,  *Michael  Lemp,  *John  Lawhead,  *Gregory  Lawrence,  * Joseph 
Loll,  * Jacob  Mentzer,  *Francis  P.  McCloskey,  *James  McCammon, 
William  McCaskey,  *  James  McBride,  *James  McDonald,  *Hugh  P. 
McKee,  Marcus  J.  McLaughlin,  *  George  W.  McMichael,  John  New- 
house,  *Peter  Nugent,  Daniel  O'Neill,  -Peter  O'Neill,  *William  A. 
Paup,  Alfred  T.  Ranee,  John  Reed,  Anthony  P.  Refner,  *  George  W. 
Remel,  George  W.  Rhees,  Samuel  K.  Richards,  *John  G.  Richards, 
Andrew  E.  Russell,  *James  Sample,  Henry  Shoup,  *Alden  Slocum, 
""Christian  Smathers,  Sylvester  Straub,  John  A.  Stroup,  *John 
Thompson,  *William  M.  Thompson,  *John  Tyler,  *John  Vourhaur, 
Abraham  Wiles,  *Wrilliam  Wilkinson,  David  Woodruff,  *Anthony 
Torry. 

KILLED. 

Andrew  Basom — Wilderness,  May  5,  1864. 
Corporal  William  Blair — Wilderness,  May  5,  1864. 
Harrison   Callen — Wilderness,    May    5,    1864. 
Jacob   I.   Delo — Glendale,   June   30,    1862. 
First  Sergeant  Joshua  H.  Delo — Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862. 
Corporal  R.  Sloan  Elgin — Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862. 
William  Elder — Wilderness,  May  5,  1864. 

Fourth  Sergeant  J.  R.  Guthrie — Second  Bull  Run,  August  29, 
1862. 

James  Gallagher — Wilderness,   May  5,   1864. 
William    Greenawalt — Orchards,    June    25,    1862. 
James  Hamilton — Wilderness,  May  5,  1864. 
Jonas  Highberger — Spot  tsyl  van  ia,  May  12,  1864. 
David  Irvin — Yorktown,  April  9,  1862. 
Archy  Jones — Petersburg,   March   25,   1865. 
Francis  P.   McCloskey — Fair  0<akfc,   May   31,   1862. 
G.  W.   McCulloch — Wilderness,  May   5,   1864. 
Geprge  H.   Rhees — Fair  Oaks,   May   31,   1862. 
Henry  Shoup — Second  Bull  Run,  August   29,   1862. 
John  Thompson — Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,   1862. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  361 

First  Sergeant  James  Waley — Wilderness,  May  5,  1864. 
James  Wilson — Wilderness,  May  5,  1864. 
Joseph  Orbin — Skirmish,  June   22,   1864. 

WOUNDED. 

Martin   Castner — Second  Bull   Run,   August   29,    1862. 

John  Cyphert — Wilderness,  May  5,   1864;    jaw. 

John  B.   Denslinger — Wilderness,   May    5,   1*864;    head. 

James  O.  Delp — North  Anna,  May  23,  1864;   left  leg. 

William   J.    Dunlap — Petersburg,   November    1,    1864;    eye. 

J.  Shugart  Elder — Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862. 

Isaac  W.   Ferstermaker — Gettysburg,   July   3,    1863. 

Stewart  A.   Fulton — Chancellorsville,   May   3,   1863. 

Adam  Fry — Wilderness,  May  5,  1864;   left  leg. 

Michael  Ferguson— Wilderness,  May  5,  1864;    right  arm. 

Philip  D.  Griffin — Orchards,  June  25,  1862;  Gettysburg,  July  3, 
1863;  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864. 

John  Griffin — Gettysburg,  July  3,  1863;  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864. 

Anthony  Greenawalt — Orchards,  June  25,  1862;  arm. 

Andrew  No>ble — Hatcher's  Run,  Va.,  October  27,  1864;  leg. 

Eliphas   Highberger — Second   Bull   Run,   August   29,    1862. 

Benjamin  P.   Hilliard — Fredericksburg,  December  13,   1862. 

William  Hall — Wilderness,  May  5,   1864;    right  arm.  « 

George  B.  Hartzell — Wilderness,  May  5,  1864;  right  ankle;  Octo 
ber  24,  1864,  wounded  and  captured. 

Charles  Harbst — Glendale,  June  30,  1862;    leg. 

Archy  Jones— Wilderness,  May  5,  1864;   right  foot. 

John  Johnston — Orchards,  June  25,  1862;  arm. 

Joseph  Loll — Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863;  Wilderness,  May  5, 
1864;  both  legs. 

Gregory  Lawrence — Wilderness,  May  5,  1864;  North  Anna,  May 
23,  1864. 

James  R.  Loudon — Wilderness,  May  5,  1864;   right  shoulder. 

Thomas  H.  Martin — Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862;  arm. 

Jonathan  McCurdy — Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862;   captured. 

James  McDonald — Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862;   captured. 

Andrew  McDonald — Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862;    captured. 

James  McCammon — Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862. 

G.  W.  McCullouch — Fair  Oaks,  May  3,  1863. 

James  McBride — Wilderness,  May  5,  1864;   left  leg. 

Hugh  P.   McKee — Wilderness,   May   5,    1864. 

Peter   Nugent — Fair  Oaks,   May   31,   1862. 

Peter  O'Neil — Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862. 

Daniel  O'Neil — Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862. 

Adam  Potter — Gettysburg,  July   3,    1863. 

Corporal  Anthony  P.  Refner — Chancellorsville,  May  3,  1863'; 
Wilderness,  May  5,  1864. 

Alfred  T.  Ranee — Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862. 

John  G.  Richards — Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862. 

James  Sample — Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,   1862. 

David  Shields — June  30,  1862,  right  leg;  July  3,  1863,  right 
shoulder;  February  6,  1864,  through  body  and  foot. 

William  H.  Thompson — Fredericksburg,"  December  13,  1862,  cap 
tured;  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864,  wounded. 

Anthony  Torry — Wilderness,  May  5,  1864,  right  hand;  Peters 
burg,  September,  1864,  right  arm;  June  1,  1865,  loss  of  leg. 


362  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

First  Sergeant  James  Waley — Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862. 

Adam  Wentzell — Skirmish,  August   14,   1864. 

Andrew  Alderman — Petersburg,  October  27,  1864. 

Thomas  Bryant — Mine  Run,  November  27,  1863;  captured. 

DIED  OF  DISEASE. 

Henry  L.  Highberger— September  3,  1862,  hospital,  near  Fort 
Monroe. 

John  Kuhns — September  26,  1862,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Curtis  C.  Zink — August  10,  1862,  Harrison's  Landing. 

David  R.  Dunmire — May  31,  1862,  Meadow  Station. 

John  Baumgarden — June  30,  1862,  near  Fair  Oaks,  Va. 

Franklin  Gathers — April  22,   1862,  Yorktown,  Va. 

Thomas  M.  Frazier — April  15,  1862,  near  Yorktown,  Va. 

Marcus  J.  McLaughlin — July  3,   1862,  Harrison's  Landing. 

Finady  Eshelman — April  25,  1863,  hospital,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Phillip  Daum — May  10,  1863,  Potomac  Creek,  Va. 

Sylvester  Straub — April  28,  1863,  Pittsburgh,  while  on  sick  fur 
lough. 

John  P.  Crooks — June  3,  1865,  Potomac  Creek,  Va. 

Robert  McBride — April  8,  1864,  near  Brandy  Station,  Va. 

John  Leach — January  11,  1864,  near  Brandy  Station,  Va. 

William  A.  Paup — June  12,  1862,  near  Fair  Oaks,  Va. 

John  Reed — June  24,  1862,  Meadow  Station,  Va. 

Christian  Smathers — -March  18,  1862,  Alexandria,  Va. 

David  Woodruff — June  11,  1862,  near  Fair  Oaks,  Va. 

John  Tyler — January  12,  1864,  Washington,  D.  C. 

John  G.  McGonagle — June  21,  1862,  Meadow  Station,  Va. 

DISCHARGED  ON  SURGEON'S  CERTIFICATE. 

Corporal  John  Stewart — June  21,  1862. 
John  Lawhead — May  28,  1862... 
James  Barr — December  10,   1862. 
William  Wilkinson — February  3,  1863. 
Henry  Beer — October  31,  1862. 
Thomas  Bolton — February  11,  1863. 
William  Campbell — September  25,  1862. 
Emanuel  Cussins — September   29,   1862. 
Alpheus  George — August   17,   1862. 
Isaac  W.  Fenstermaker — July  23,  1864. 
David   S.    Reiser — February   4,    1863. 
Jacob   Mentzer — November   21,    1862. 
William  McCaskey — June  20,  1862. 
Bernard  McCann — October  2,   1862. 
Jacob  Rinard — June  21,  1862. 
Alden  Slocum — June  23,  1862. 
John  A.  Stroup — May  8,  1862. 
Abraham  Wiles — February  21,  1863. 

DISCHARGED  ON  ACCOUNT  OF  WOUNDS. 

James  McDonald — August  28,  1863. 
Charles  Harbst — February  18,  1863. 
George  W.  Fox — March  1,  1863. 
William  L.  Hall — October  25,  1864. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  363 

Thomas  H.  Martin — October  31,  1862. 
Joseph  Loll — February  6,  1865. 
Adam  Potter — October  10,  1864. 
Martin  Castner — January   18,   1863. 
J.  Shugart  Elder — November  22,  1862. 
David  Shields — June  9,  1863. 
Phillip  D.  Griffin — May  10,  1864. 
Anthony  Greenawalt — August  8,  1862. 
Eliphas  Highberger — February  7,  1863. 
John  Johnston — August  8,  1862. 
James  McCammon — September  22,  1862. 
Peter  Nugent — September  26,  1862. 
Alfred  T.  Ranee — August  8,  1864. 
John  G.  Richards — January  10,  1863. 
Peter  O'Neil — November  9,  1862. 

MUSTERED  OUT  WITH  COMPANY. 
Expiration  Term  of  Service. 

Ami  W'hitehill,  John  A.  Griffin,  Benjamin  F.  Hilliard,  John 
Cyphert,  Isiah  K.  Dale,  John  Gilford,  Gregory  Lawrence,  Hugh  P. 
McKee,  Daniel  O'Neil,  Samuel  K.  Richards,  Andrew  E.  Russell, 
William  M.  Thompson,  John  Vorhaur. 

TRANSFERRED  TO  ON  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTH  REGIMENT, 
COMPANIES   H   AND    K. 

Michael  Kempf,  Anthony  P.  Refner,  James  McBride,  Stewart  A. 
Fulton,  Joseph  Lichenberger,  William  J.  Dunlap,  Michael  Ferguson, 
Alexander  Goble,  Archibald  Gilchrist,  Jonathan  McCurdy,  Thomas 
McMunn,  John  McDonald,  John  Newhouse,  James  Sample. 

TRANSFERRED  TO  VETERAN  RESERVE  CORPS. 
Bernard  Faroust — September  16,  1864. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

William  Mentzer — Mustered  out  February  27,  1865. 
Andrew    McDonald — Transferred    to   Company    G,    Second    United 
States  Cavalary,  November  5,  1862. 


HISTORY  OF  COMPANY  G. 


Company  G  was  organized  in  Venango,  Armstrong  and  Indiana 
counties.  The  Venango  county  squad  of  forty-six  was  composed  of 
the  following,  the  first  three  to  be  the  commissioned  officers  of  the 
company  in  the  order  named: 

George  C.  McClelland,  Hugh  Hunter,  S.  Hays  Cochran,  Wales  D. 
Ashton,  Milton  J.  Adams,  John  C.  Brookbank,  Samuel  D.  Barnett, 
Ohauncey  G.  Cooper,  William  Cooper,  David  W.  Coursin,  Christian 
Diem,  Samuel  C.  Dewoody,  Asa  O.  Douglass,  James  D.  Douglass, 
Robert  H.  Daily,  Charles  France,  William  H.  Green,  Curtis  C. 
Griffin,  Daniel  M.  Gardner,  James  S.  Gates,  Aaron  W.  Gilmore, 
Robert  Houston,  Frank  H.  Johnston,  Alfred  B.  Lupher,  Robert  C. 
Law,  James  Lindsay,  John  T.  McCoy,  Robert  B.  McCoy,  Thomas  Mar 
tin,  Charles  Moore,  Cyrus  J.  Moore,  David  K.  Mitchell,  William 
Magee,  Clark  Neer,  William  B.  Peiffer,  Ithmar  Porter,  Samuel  C. 
Rhodes,  Simon  Shall,  John  Stittz,  Edson  E.  Sheppard,  George  W. 
Taylor,  Solomon  Venscl,  James  S.  Williams,  Edward  Wachschmidt, 
George  Wolfkill,  William  S.  Whittman. 

On  the  14th  of  August,  1861,  they  embarked  on  a  flat  boat  at 
Franklin  and  floated  down  the  Allegheny  River  to  Camp  Wilkins, 
Pittsburgh,  where  they  remained  until  August  25th,  when  they  were 
mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  by  H.  O.  Ormsby. 

The  Armstrong  county  contingent  was  represented  by  forty-seven 
men,  as  follows: 

Sim'on  Blystone,  Peter  Boyer,  Robert  M.  Brown,  John  R.  Cox, 
James  N.  Coulter,  John  Cessna,  William  L.  Calhoun,  J.  H.  Fulton, 
William  Frailey,  William  J.  Graham,  Jacob  Gardner,  Henry  R. 
Gress,  David  R.  George,  Joseph  Gardner,  John  Henderson,  Ralston 
Hoover,  William  C.  Hoover,  James  M.  Johnston,  John  F.  Jones,  John 
Kelly,  Hugh  McConnell,  Jacob  Miller,  Thomas  H.  Martin,  Robert  W. 
Martin,  David  C.  Martin,  Isaac  Moorhead,  John  Pickle,  Loben  Russell, 
Matthew  A.  Rankin,  Joseph  P.  Rankin,  John  G.  Robinson,  William 
H.  H.  Sloan,  Jacob  Sadler,  John  A.  Sell,  David  Shirey,  Andrew  J. 
Smeltzer,  John  St.  Glair,  Thomas  Smith,  Adam  F.  Smith,  Simon 
Steffey,  Benjamin  H.  Smith,  William  M.  Smith,  John  M.  Thomas, 
A.  H.  G.  Wilhelm,  A.  W.  Wilhelm. 

Other  men  from  various  locations,  were — Charles  W.  McHenry, 
W.  R.  Nicholson,  George  A.  Cook,  John  Hassinger,  Philip  O'Sullivan. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  365 

Of  the  ninety-seven  original  members,  the  following  eighteen  were 
killed  in  action: 

S.  Hays  Cochran,  Isaac  Moorhead,  Benjamin  H.  Smith,  Simon 
Steffey,  Matthew  A.  Rankin,  Thomas  L.  Martin,  Simon  Blystone, 
David  W.  Coursin,  Christian  Diem,  Charles  Prance,  William  Frailey, 
David  R.  George,  Jacob  Gardner,  John  Kelly,  Cyrus  J.  Moore,  Robert 
B.  McCoy,  Hugh  McConnell,  Clark  Near. 

Four  died  of  wounds — George  A.  Cook,  William  J.  Graham,  Henry 
B.  Gress,  A.  W.  Wilhelm. 

Seven  died  of  disease — James  N.  Coulter,  Ralston  Hoover,  John 
Hassinger,  Philip  Hassinger,  Jacob  Miller,  Andrew  J.  Smeltzer, 
Robert  W.  Martin.  a 

Four  were  taken  prisoners;  two  transferred  and  three  deserted; 
twenty-six  were  discharged  on  account  of  disability  or  for  other 
causes;  fourteen  absent  and  twelve  present  at  muster  out,  leaving 
four  prisoners  to  be  mustered  out.  Four  remained  on  account  of 
re-enlistment,  and  one  was  absent  without  leave. 

There  were  forty-two  recruits  or  drafted  men  joined  the  company 
at  later  dates,  as  follows: 

Peter  Amsberger,  George  Blystone,  William  Blystone,  John  Bleak- 
ney,  Jesse  Cole,  Robert  Davidson,  R.  A.  Fulton,  Thomas  S.  Frue, 
Benjamin  W.  Hill,  Andrew  Henderson,  Cornelius  Hoffman,  Josiah  M. 
Hays,  Samuel  S.  Hays,  Samuel  S.  Jack,  Wilder  Jackson,  Henry  Klugh, 
William  R.  Keppel,  Sylvis  Leasure,  George  W.  Martin,  Andrew  J. 
"Moore,  Samuel  G.  Moorhead,  Samuel  Mulberger,  James  Markel, 
James  S.  Myers,  Noah  W.  Porter,  Isaac  L.  Rearick,  Robert  Rager, 
John  Q.  Ritchey,  Joseph  Rudler,  Alexander  Rupert,  William  C. 
Smith,  George  Schick,  Harrison  Stopp,  Martin  Schermerhorn,  Wilson 
M.  Stills,  David  F.  Sheets,  Samuel  Sharp,  John  Salada,  William 
Thomas,  David  J.  Thomas,  Hampton  Thomas,  Charles  Warner. 

Of  the  recruits  and  drafted  men,  three  were  killed,  one  died  of 
wounds,  two  died  of  disease,  four  were  discharged,  one  transferred 
to  western  department,  one  deserted,  one  absent  sick,  twelve  absent 
wounded,  but  nine  being  present  at  muster  out,  one  of  wh'om  was 
detailed  as  division  teamster. 

Jaco^b  Gardner,  shot  on  out-post,  near  Pohick  Church,  November 
7,  1861,  was  the  first  man  killed  in  the  regiment. 

Total   enlistment 140 

Killed  in  action 21 

Died  of  wounds 5 

Died   of   disease 11 

Discharged  for  'disability 30 

Transferred    36 

Deserted    4 

Mustered  out  at  expiration  of  term 33 

Total     ,  .140 


366  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

ROSTER. 

CHARLES  W.  McHENRY,  Captain — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  from  Sergeant  Major,  A.ugust  20,  1861.  Discharged 
November  13,  1862.  Died  at  Janesville,  Wis.,  February  9,  1874. 

S.  HAYS  COCHRAN,  First  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Killed  near  Richmond,  Va.,  June  25,  1862. 

ISAAC  MOORHEAD,  Second  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Promoted  to  First  Lieutenant,  June  27,  1862;  to  Cap 
tain,  May  19,  1863.  Killed  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  June  18,  1864. 

JAMES  S.  WILLIAMS,  First  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant,  June  27,  1862;  to  First  Lieu 
tenant,  May  19,  1863.  Wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May 
3,  1863,  and  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  June  16*  1864.  Mustered  out 
with  company. 

WILLIAM  R.  NICHOLSON,  Second  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August 
1,  1861.  Promoted  to  First  Sergeant,  May  19,  1862;  to  Second 
Lieutenant,  July  13,  1864.  Wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  Va., 
May  3,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  company.  % 

WILLIAM  B.  PEIFFER,  Second  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Discharged  February  20,  1863.  Died  August  11,  1890. 

WILLIAM  H.  H.  SLOAN,  Fourth  'Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  M.  BROWN,  Fifth  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Mustered  out  with 
company. 

GEORGE  A.  COOK,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died 
July  4,  1862,  of  wounds  received  in  action. 

WILLIAM  M.  SMITH,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Discharged  on 
account  of  wounds,  September  17,  1862. 

AARON  W.  GILMORE,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Sergeant,  February  20,  1863;  to  First  Sergeant, 
July  13,  1864.  Wounded  at  Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862, 
and  at  Wapping  Heights,  July  23,  1863.  Mustered  out  with 
company. 

ALFRED  B.  LUPHER,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Dis 
charged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  January  17,  1863. 

ROBERT  HOUSTON,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro- 
m'oted  to  First  Sergeant,  June  27,  1862;  to  Second  Lieutenant, 
May  19,  1863.  Discharged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  January  9, 
1864.  Died  since  the  war. 

FRANK  H.  JOHNSTON,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Wounded  at  Fredericks>burg,  Va.,  December  13,  1862.  Dis 
charged  account  of  wounds,  May  16,  1863.  Died  at  Franklin, 
Pa.,  March  25,  1907.  Buried  there. 

SIMON  STEFFEY,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded 
at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Taken  prisoner  and  died  of 
wounds  on  Belle  Island,  Va. ;  date  unknown. 

WALES  D.  ASHTON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Prisoner  from 
June  22,  1864,  to  November  24,  1864.  Mustered  out  December 
3,  1864.  Died  February  20,  1895,  at  Finley's  Lake,  Pa. 


ST3RY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  367 

JOHN  HASSINGER,  Musician — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861. 
Died  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  December  25,  1862. 

JOHN  STITZ,  Musician — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Deserted 
July  26,  1863,  and  dropped  from  the  rolls,  August  8,  1863. 

JOHN  SILLIBERG,  Wagoner — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Dis 
charged  September  25,  1863. 

MILTON  J.  ADAMS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Spottsylvania  Court  House,  Va.,  May  12,  1864.  Captured  June 
22,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JOHN  C.  BROOKBANK — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Sergeant,  May  19,  1863.  Wounded  at  Mine  Run,  Va.,  November 
27,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

PETER  BOYER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  September  16,  1862. 

SIMON  BLYSTONE — Mustered  in  January  4,  1864.  Killed  at  Wil 
derness,  Va.,  May  6,  1864. 

SAMUEL  D.  BARNETT — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Deserted 
June  30,  1863.  Returned  November  22,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  R.  COX — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  March 
26,  1863. 

JOHN  CESSNA — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to  Sergeant, 
June  1,  1864.  Wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862,  and 
at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

JAMES  N.  COULTER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  April  12, 
1864. 

OHAUNCEY  G.  COOPER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered 
out  with  company. 

WILLIAM  L.  CALHOUN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Discharged 

October   9,   1862. 
DAVID  W.   COURSIN — Mustered  in  August   1,   1861.      Wounded   at 

Nelson's  Farm,  Va.,  June  30,  1862.     Died  on  account  of  wounds 

in  Libby  Prison. 
CHRISTIAN  DIEM — 'Mustered   in  August   ],    1861.      Killed   at   Fair 

Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 
SAMUEL   C.    DEWOODY — Mustered    in   August    1,    1861.      Captured 

June  22,   1864.      Veteran  Volunteer.      Transferred  to  Company 

G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
ASA  O.  DOUGLASS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Discharged;  date 

unknown. 

JAMES  D.  DOUGLASS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Fredericksburg,  Va.,  December  13,  1863.  Discharged  December 
24,  1863,  on  account  of  wounds. 

ROBERT  H.  DAILY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Absent  wounded  in  hospital  at 
muster  out. 

JOHN  A.  FRAILEY— Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  April 
26,  1863.  Died  National  Military  Home,  Santa  Monica,  Cali 
fornia.  Grave  4. 


368  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

CHARLES  FRANCE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.      Killed  at  Fair 

Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 
WILLIAM   D.    FRAILEY — Mustered   in   August    1,    1861.      Killed   at 

Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 
HENRY   FRAILEY — Mustered    in   August    1,    1861.      Discharged  on 

surgeon's  certificate,  September  22,  1862. 
JOSEPH   H.    FULTON — Mustered   in   August    1,    1861.      Absent   sick 

at  muster  out. 
WILLIAM  H.  GREEN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Transferred  to 

Company   G,   One   Hundred   and   Fifth   Regiment,   Pennsylvania 

Volunteers. 
JAMES  S.  GATES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Wounded  at  Fair 

Oaks,  Va.,   May   31,   1862.      Discharged  on   account  of  wounds, 

September  16,  1862. 

CURTIS  C.   GRIFFIN — Mustered  in  August   1,   1861.      Mustered  out 
with  company. 

DAVID  R.  GEORGE — Mustered  in  August  1,   1861.      Killed  at  Nel 
son's  Farm,  Va.,  June  30,   1862. 
WILLIAM  I.  GRAHAM — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Promoted  to 

Corporal,  February  24,  1863.  Died  of  wounds,  May  24,  1864,  in 

Fredericksburg,  Va.     Buried  in  Washington  House  church-yard, 

Fredericksburg. 
JACOB    GARDNER — Mustered    in    August     1,     1861.       Killed    near 

Pohick  Church,  Va.,  November   7,   1861. 
JOSEPH   GARDNER — Mustered   in   August    1,    1861.      Mustered   out 

with  company.     Died  since  the  war. 
DANIEL  N.  GARDNER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Mustered  out 

with  company     Died  July  9,  1903,  at  Emlenton,  Pa.     Buried  in 

Rockland  cemetery. 
HENRY    R.    GROSS — Mustered    in   August    1,    1861.      Died    at    New 

Haven,  Conn.,  July  3,  1862,  of  wounds. 
PHILIP  HASSINGER — Mustered  in  September   9,   1861.     Died  near 

Alexandria,  Va.,  October  25,  1861. 
JOHN  HENDERSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Absent  sick  at 

muster  out.     Died  since  the  war. 

RALSTON  HOOVER — Mustered  in  August   1,   1861.      Died  at  Balti 
more  Cross  Roads,  Va.,  June   13,   1862. 
WILLIAM  C.  HOOVER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Mustered  out 

with  company.     Died  since  the  war. 
JAMES  M.   JOHNSTON — Mustered   in  August   1,   1861.      Discharged 

February  20,  1863. 
JOHN  F.  JONES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Mustered  out  with 

company. 
JOHN  KELLY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Killed  at  Chancellors- 

ville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863. 
JAMES  LINDSAY — Mustered  in  August   1,   1861.      Discharged  May 

1,  1862.     Died  since  the  war. 
ROBERT  C.  LAW — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Discharged;    date 

unknown.     Died  at  Franklin,  Pa.,  aged  82  years. 

JOHN   T.    McCOY — Mustered   in   August   1,   1861.      Discharged   Sep 
tember  26,  1862.     Died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  February  24,  1900. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  369 

ROBERT  B.  McCOY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Killed  at  Wilder 
ness,  Va.,  May  5,   1864. 
HUGH    McCONNELL — Mustered     in    August    1,     1861.       Killed    at 

Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 
WILLIAM  R.  MAGEE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Deserted;  date 

unknown. 
JACOB  MILLER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Died  March  6,  1863, 

near  Falmouth,  Va. 
THOMAS  L.   MARTIN — Mustered  in  August  1,   1861.      Promoted  to 

Corporal,  February  1,  1864.     Killed  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  6, 

1864. 
DAVID   C.    MARTIN — Mustered    in   August    1,    1861.      Mustered   out 

with  company.     Died  April  23,  1888.     Buried  at  Apollo,  Pa. 
ROBERT  W.   MARTIN — Mustered  in  August  1,   1861.      Promoted  to 

Sergeant.     Discharged  February  12,  1863.     Died  since  the  war. 
CHARLES    MOORE — Mustered    in    August    1,    1861.      Mustered    out 

with  company. 
DAVID   K.    MITCHELL — Mustered   in  August    1,    1861.      Discharged 

December  25,   1862. 
THOMAS  MARTIN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Discharged;   date 

unknown. 
CYRUS  J.  MOORE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Killed  near  Pohick 

Church,  Va.,  March  6,  1862.     Buried  Alexandria,  Va.,  National 

cemetery,  grave  1456. 
CLARK  NEAR — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Killed  at  Wilderness, 

Va.,  May  5,  1864. 
ITHAMAR  PORTER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Absent  sick  at 

muster  out.     Died  July  16,  1864,  from  kick  of  horse.     Buried  at 

Franklin,  Pa. 

JOHN  PICKLE — .Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral,  July  4,  1863.  Wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864. 

Mustered  out  with  company. 
JOSEPH  P.   RANKIN — Mustered   in  August   1,   1861.      Mustered  out 

with  company. 
MATTHEW  A.   RANKIN — Mustered   in  August   1,   1861.      Promoted 

to  Corporal,  February  1,  1864.     Killed  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  June 

16,    1864. 
JOHN   A.   ROBINSON — Mustered   in  August    1,    1861.      Wounded   at 

Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.     Mustered  out  with  company. 

LOBEN  RUSSELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Discharged  December  1,  1862,  on 
account  of  wounds. 

SAMUEL  A.  RHOADES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862,  and  at  Nelson's  Farm,  Va.,  June 
30,  1862.  Discharged  on  account  of  wounds,  September  29, 
1862. 

SIMEON  SHALL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Transferred  to 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  December  15,  1863.  Buried  National 
cemetery,  Arlington,  Va.,  grave  7346. 

EDSON  E.  SHEPARD — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 


370  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

JOHN  ST.  CLAIR — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  Discharged  on  account  of 
wounds,  September  22,  1863. 

ADAM  F.  SMITH — Mustered  in  Angust  1,  1861.  Discharged  April 
26,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

THOMAS  SMITH — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  October 
1,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

BENJAMIN  H.  SMITH — Mustered  in  August  1;  1861.  Promoted  to 
Corporal,  February  20,  1863.  Killed  at  Chancellorsville,  Va., 
May  3,  1863. 

DAVID  SHIRE Y — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  near  York- 
town,  Va.,  May  25,  1862.  Buried  in  National  cemetery,  Ann 
apolis,  Md.  Grave  17. 

A.  J.  SMELTZER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Captured.  Died  at 
Richmond,  Va. ;  date  unknown. 

JACOB  SADLER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Peters 
burg,  Va.,  June  18,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

JOHN  A.  SELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Peters 
burg,  Va.,  June  18,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died 
January  23,  1896,  near  Avonmore,  Pa. 

PHILIP  O.  SULLIVAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Deserted 
November  5,  1862,  taking  gun  and  equipment  with  him. 

JOHN  M.  THOMAS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Sergeant,  February  24,  1863.  Wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May 
31,  1862;  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863,  and  at  the 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  6,  1864.  Captured  and  taken  to  Libby 
Prison.  Absent  wounded  at  muster  out. 

GEORGE  W.  TAYLOR — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Transferred  to 
Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  at  New  Alexandria,  Pa.,  March  17,  1905. 
Buried  U.  P.  cemetery  there. 

SOLOMON  VENSEL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at  York- 
town,  Va.,  May  15,  1862. 

ABSALOM  W.  WILHELM — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  of  wounds  received  in  action. 

AUGUSTUS  H.  G.  WILHELM — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Wounded  at  Malvern  Hill,  Va.,  June  30,  1862.  Prisoner  from 
May  12,  1864,  to  March  1,  1865.  Mustered  out  with  company. 
Died  since  the  war. 

EDWARD  WACHSMITH — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Corporal.  Discharged  April  25,  1864.  Died  at  Tracy,  Cal., 
October,  1907. 

GEORGE  WOLFKILL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  com 
pany.  Died  in  1899. 

WILLIAM  S.  WHITMAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Transferred 

to  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

Died  since  the  war. 
PETER  ARMBERGER— Drafted  September  2,  1863.     Transferred  to 

Company   G,   One   Hundred   and   Fifth   Regiment,   Pennsylvania 

Volunteers.     Died  since  the  war. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  371 

WILLIAM  BLYSTONE — Mustered  in  March  31,  1864.  Died  June  25, 
1864,  of  wounds  received  at  Petersburg,  Va.,  June  18,  1864. 
Buried  National  cemetery,  City  Point,  Va.,  grave  985. 

GEORGE  BLYSTONE — Mustered  in  January  18,  1864.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  G,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died 
since  the  war. 

JOHN  BLEAKNEY — Drafted  July  17,  1863.  Wounded  before 
Petersburg,  Va.,  June  16,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  G,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died 
January,  1896,  at  Elderton,  Pa.  Buried  there. 

JESSE  COLE — Mustered  in  February  19,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  COOPER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged;  date 
unknown.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  DAVIDSON — Mustered  in  September  2,  1863.  Wounded  at 
Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  10,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  G, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  A  FULTON — Mustered  in  September  9,  1862.  Discharged 
February  14,  1863.  Died  January  14,  1893,  at  Yates  City,  111. 

THOMAS  FRUE — Mustered  in  October  15,  1862.  Killed  at  Wilder 
ness,  May  6,  1864. 

ANDREW  HENDERSON — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Wounded  at 
North  Anna,  Va.,  May  24,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  G, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Died  since  the  war. 

JOSIAH  M.  HAYS — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Wounded  at  Wilder 
ness,  Va.,  May  6,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  G,  One  Hun 
dred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since 
the  war. 

CORNELIUS  HOFFMAN — Drafted  September  2,  1863.  Wounded 
October  26,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

BENJAMIN  W.  HULL — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

SAMUEL  S.  HAYS — 'Mustered  in  February  22,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  October  9,  1864,  at  Beverly,  New  Jersey. 

SAMUEL  S.  JACK — Drafted  July  17,  1863.  Wounded  May  12,  1864, 
at  Spottsylvania,  Va. 

WILDER  JACKSON — Drafted  September  2,  1863.  Wounded  at  Wil 
derness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  G,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died 
National  Military  Home,  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  November  18, 
1907. 

HENRY  KLUGH — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Died  at  Washington, 
D.  C.,  February  24,  1864. 

SYLOIS  LEASURE — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 


372  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

WILLIAM  R.  KEPPEL — Mustered  in  February  23,  1864.  Killed  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864. 

GEORGE  W.  MARTIN — Mustered  in  February  15,  1864.  Died 
August  15,  1864.  Buried  National  cemetery,  Varina  Grove, 
Va.,  grave  105. 

SAMUEL  MULBERGER — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Died  July  15, 
1864.  Buried  National  cemetery,  Arlington,  Va.,  grave  5350. 

SAMUEL  G.  MOORHEAD — Drafted  September  5,  1863.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  6,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  G, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JAMES  MARKAL — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company 
G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Died  since  the  war. 

ANDREW  J.  MOORE — Mustered  in  March  21,  1862.  Died  May  15, 
1864,  from  wounds  received  at  Wilderness.  Va.,  May  6,  1864. 
Buried  in  Wilderness,  Va.,  near  Second  Corps  Field  Hospital. 

JAMES  S.  MYERS — Mustered  in  March  31,  1864.  Killed  at  Wilder 
ness,  May  5,  1864. 

NOAH  W.  PORTER — Mustered  in  December  29,  1863.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  May  6,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  G,  One  Hun 
dred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Captured 
by  Mosby's  Guerillas.  In  Libby  Prison  three  months. 

ROBERT  RAGER — Mustered  in  August  30,  1862.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  6,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  G, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Died  since  the  war. , 

ISAAC  L.  REARICK — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Wounded  at  Peters 
burg,  Va.,  June  18,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  G, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

J'G'HN  RITCHEY — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company 
G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JOSEPH  RUDLER — Drafted  September  2,  1863.  Discharged  Sep 
tember  23,  1864. 

ALEXANDER  RUPERT — Mustered  in  February  23,  1864.  Died  near 
Brandy  Station,  Orange  &  Alexandria  Railroad,  Va.,  April  1, 
1864. 

WILLIAM  C.  SMITH — Mustered  in  February  2,  1864.  Wounded  at 
North  Anna,  Va.,  May  23,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  G, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  SCHICK — Mustered  in  February  15,  1864.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  G, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Djed  since  the  war. 

HARRISON  C.  STOPP — Drafted  September  2,  1863.  Wounded  at 
North  Anna,  Va.,  May  23,  1864.  Transferred  to  One  Hundred 
and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

M.  SCHEMERHORN — Drafted  September  2,  1863.  Wounded  October 
23,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

DAVID  F.  SHEiETS — Mustered  in  March  9,  1862.  Discharged  Janu 
ary  14,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  373 

WILSON  M.  STILLS — Drafted  July  13,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  SALADA — Drafted  July  13,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company  G, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Died  since  the  war. 

SAMUEL  SHARP — Drafted  September  7,  1863.  Deserted  May  5, 
1864,  at  Wilderness,  Va. 

WILLIAM  THOMAS — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers. 

DAVID  J.  THOMAS — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers. 

HAMPTON  THOMPSON — Drafted  July  20,  1863.  Transferred 
to  Western  Army,  October  1,  1863. 

CHARLES  D.  WARNER— Drafted  September  8,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 


HISTORY  OF  COMPANY  H. 


Organized  at  Pittsburgh  by  Captain  Maurice  Wallace,  and  known 
as  the  "McCullough  Guards."  Enrollment  dated  August  6,  1861. 

Mustered  into  the  United  States  service  near  Washington  City, 
D.  C.,  October  9,  1861,  with  a  full  complement  of  men. 

Captain  Wallace  being  promoted  to  major  of  the  regiment,  First 
Lieutenant  C.  B.  McCullough  was  made  captain  of  the  company; 
Second  Lieutenant  H.  P.  Fulton,  first  lieutenant;  and  Orderly  Ser 
geant  W.  H.  Jeffries,  second  lieutenant. 

ROSTER. 

MAURICE  WALLACE,  Captain — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Major,  August  6,  1861.  Died  about  1899. 

CHARLES  B.  McCULLOUGH,  Captain — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861. 
Promoted  from  First  Lieutenant,  August  6,  1861.  Resigned 
December  15,  1861.  Died  about  1866  from  accident. 

HUGH  P.  FULTON,  First  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Captain,  April  14,  1862.  Died  December  20,  1862, 
of  wounds  received  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  December  13,  1862. 
Buried  St.  Mary's  cemetery,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

WILLIAM  H.  JEFFRIES,  Second  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  6, 

1861.  Promoted  to  First  Lieutenant,  April  14,   1862;    to  Cap 
tain,   December   21,    1862.      Wounded   at   Fair   Oaks,   Va.,    May 
31,    1862.      Discharged   May   21,    1863,    on   account   of   wounds 
received  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.     Re-enlisted  in  1864  in  Second  Divis 
ion    Sheridan's    Cavalry.      Died    Bellwood,    Pa.,    April    2,    1906. 
Buried  Long  Run  Presbyterian  Church,  Circleville,  Pa. 

JAMES  WHELAN,  First  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  6r  1861. 
Wounded  while  on  picket,  1861.  Discharged  on  surgeon's  cer 
tificate,  December  25,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  KEENAN,  Second  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Captain,  December  16,  1861.  Discharged  April  14, 

1862.  Died  June  14,  1904,  at  National  Military  Home,  Hamp- 
j       ton,  Va.     Buried  there.     Grave  8679. 

DANIEL  DOUGHERTY,  Third  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  6, 
1861.  Promoted  to  First  Sergeant  and  to  Second  Lieutenant, 
April  20,  1862,  and  to  First  Lieutenant,  February  27,  1863;  to 
Captain,  July  1,  1863.  Died  June  19,  1864,  of  wounds  received 
at  North  Anna,  Va.,  May  23,  1864.  Buried  St.  Mary's  cemetery, 
Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

WILLIAM  DEAKERS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Mustered  out 
of  company.  Fell  out  of  window  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and  killed 
about  1870. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  375 

WILLIAM  W.  WEEKS,  Fourth  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  6, 
1861.  Promoted  to  First  Sergeant;  to  Second  Lieutenant, 
December  21,  1862.  Died  May  19,  1863,  of  wounds  received  at 
Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863. 

WILLIAM  H.  MARSHALL,  Fifth  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  6, 
1861.  Wounded  at  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Trans 
ferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  January  28,  1864.  Died  Alle 
gheny,  Pa.,  since  the  war. 

CHARLES  McMAHON,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Sergeant,  December  16,  1861;  to  Second  Lieutenant, 
July  5,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  since  the 
war. 

JAMES  McGEE,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Killed  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864. 

JAMES  JONES,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Transferred 
to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  August  1,  1863. 

JAMES  REDMOND,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Dis 
charged  by  special  order,  January  26,  1864. 

PATRICK  FISHER,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Sergeant,  May  20,  1863.  Wounded  at  Spottsylvania 
Court  House,  Va.,  May  12,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company. 
Died  National  Military  Home,  Ohio,  since  the  war. 

MICHAEL  CARROLL,  Ambulance  Driver — Mustered  in  August  6, 
1861.  Mustered  out  with  company.  . 

JOHN  CANNON — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Captured.  Returned. 
Deserted  March  16,  1864. 

DANIEL  CANNON — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Killed  at  Bull 
Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

DANIEL  CONNELLY — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Corporal.  Died  October  4,  1862. 

WILLIAM  DOUGHERTY — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Veteran 
Volunteer.  Promoted  to  Corporal,  April  29,  1864.  Transferred 
to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  •  , 

JAMES  DOUGHERTY — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Deserted  May 
4,  1862. 

JAMES  DOONER — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  Died  since  the  war. 

SIMON  P.  DILLMAN — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged 
October  31,  1862,  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Second  Bull 
Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  DOOLEY — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Deserted  March, 
1863. 

PATRICK  DOUGGERY— Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Absent  at  muster  out.  Died  at 
National  Military  Home,  Ohio,  since  the  war. 

JAMES  DOWLING — Mustered  in  November  1,  1861.  Discharged 
December  31,  1862,  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Second 
Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  EGAN — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Wounded  at  Wilder 
ness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died 
since  the  war. 


376  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

^ 

ANDREW  EMERETT— -Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Killed  at 
Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863. 

PATRICK  PARRELL — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Killed  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 

SAMUEL  WILSON,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Corporal,  March  15,  1862;  to  Sergeant,  February  1, 
1863.  Wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  6,  1864.  Mustered  out 
with  company. 

JOHN  W.  P.  JOHNSTON,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861. 
Discharged  September  16,  1862,  of  wounds  received  at  Charles 
City  Cross  Roads,  Va.,  June  30,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

THOMAS  KIRK,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Wounded 
at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

CHARLES  C.  KING,  Musician — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861. l  Mus 
tered  out  with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

PRIVATES. 

JAMES  McMANUS — Mustered,  in  August  6,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company. 

WILLIAM  BRACKEN — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Deserted  Octo 
ber  12,  1862. 

JAMES  BELL — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  December  26,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  A.  BUCH — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Transferred  to  Uni 
ted  States  Army,  November  1,  1862. 

PATRICK  COLLINS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged  on 
account  of  wounds  received  at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29, 
1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

PETER  CHURCH — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  Died  since  the  war. 

EZEKIEL  CRANE — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged  Decem 
ber  26,  1863,  for  wounds  received  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31, 
1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

HENRY  CAMPBELL — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  Died  May  24,  1864,  of 
wounds  received  at  North  Anna,  Va.,  May  23,  1864. 

RICHARD  COCHRAN — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Killed  at 
Charles  City  Cross  Roads,  Va.,  Juno  30,  1862. 

CHESTER  H.  CLARK — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Killed  at 
Charles  City  Cross  Roads,  Va.,  June  30,  1862. 

THOMAS  CRAMPTON — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  December  31,  1862. 

PHILIP  FARRELL — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Died  at  Dispatch 
Station,  Va.,  June  3,  1862,  from  wounds  received  at  Fair  Oaks, 
Va.,  May  31,  1862.  ^ 

JAMES  FREIL — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged  December 
31,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August 
29,  1862.  Re-enlisted.  Killed  August  2,  1864.  Buried  National 
cemetery,  Arlington,  Va.,  grave  6937. 

HUGH  GIBBO'NS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Wounded  at  Wilder 
ness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  at 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  since  the  war. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  377 

PETER  GILLESPIE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at  Chester, 
Pa.,  September  4,  1862. 

PHILLIP  GALLAGHER — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Died  at 
Washington,  D.  C.,  October  9,  1862,  of  wounds  received  at  Sec 
ond  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Buried  Chester,  Pa. 

PATRICK  GORMLEY — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

DAVID  GRIFFITHS — Mustered  in  September  9,  1861.  Discharged 
December  31,  1862,  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Second 
Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

PATRICK  HOGAN — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Transferred  to 
Battery  E,  Sixth  Rhode  Island  Artillery,  July,  1862. 

HUGH  HAGAN — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged  December 
10,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  Second  Bull  Run,  August  29, 
1862. 

JOSEPH  HAGAN — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Absent  at  muster 
out — in  confinement  by  sentence  of  General  Court  Martial.  Died 
October  26,  1862,  at  Fort  Jefferson,  Florida. 

JOHN  HOPKINS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Killed  at  Chancel- 
lorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863. 

JOHN  HILL — Mustered  in  August  6.  1861.  Died  September  10,  1862, 
of  wounds  received  at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 
Buried  in  Military  Asylum  cemetery,  Washington,  D.  C.,  grave 
3695. 

NICHOLAS  HARTIE — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Killed  at  Fair 
'Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 

JOHN  HENNESSEY — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  Transferred  to  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps,  September  30,  1863. 

JAMES  E.  JONES — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Killed  at  Kelly's 
Ford,  Va,.  November  7,  1863. 

HUGH  KINNEY — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral,  January  2,  1862;  to  Sergeant,  April  29,  1863.  Mustered 
out  with  company.  Died  National  Military  Home,  Ohio,  since 
the  war. 

MICHAEL  KELLY — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Veteran  Volun 
teer.  Transferred  to  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
men,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Missing  at  Spottsylvania,  May 
12,  1863. 

MATTHEW  KANE — -Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral;  to  Sergeant,  May,  1862:  to  First  Sergeant,  February  18, 
1863.  Wounded  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  3,  1863.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  KIERNAN — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  January  8,  1863.  Mexican  Veteran.  Died 
since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  LEONARD — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged 
July  29,  1864,  for  wounds  received  at  Fredericksburg,  Va., 
December  13,  1863.  Died  1895,  National  Military  Home,  Ohio. 

LAWRENCE  LYNN — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged  Sep 
tember  13,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  Oak  Grove,  Va  ,  June 
25,  1862. 


378  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

PATRICK  LARKINS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Transferred  to 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  July  1,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  R.  MARTIN — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862,  and  at  Chancellorsville,  Va., 
May  3,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

FREDERICK  MARKS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged, 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  January  5,  1863.  Mexican  Veteran. 

JOSEPH  MARKLE — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Veteran  Volun 
teer.  Transferred  to  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

SAMUEL  MOORE — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral,  October  8,  1863.  Wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5, 
1864.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

JAMES  MASON — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral,  October  8,  1863.  Mustered  out  witn  company. 

FRANCIS  MOONEY — Mustered  in  November  1,  1861.  Transferred 
to  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  MYER — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Transferred  to 
Company  K,  1862. 

PHILIP  McDERMOTT — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Killed  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 

JAMES  McGRAW — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Deserted  June  25, 
1862. 

JAMES  McMANUS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  Died  since  the  war. 

FRANCIS  Me  WILLIAMS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  February  5,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

EDWARD  McGINNISS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Killed  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

PATRICK  McNICHOLS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  March  9,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  McCULLOUGH — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Killed  at  Sec 
ond  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

JOHN  McANULTY — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged 
August  13,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  Charles  City  Cross 
Roads,  Va.,  June  30,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  McGUIRE — Mustered  in  August  6,  18  61.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  March  9,  1862. 

EDWARD  O'NEILL,  SR. — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Wounded 
at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  November  9,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

EDWARD  O'NEILL,  JR. — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Mustered 
out  with  company.  Died  National  Military  Home,  Ohio,  about 

1877. 

JOSEPH  O'BREIN — Mustered  in  August  6,  186j..  Deserted  July  23, 
1863. 

WILLIAM  O'ROURKE — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Corporal,  October  8,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died 
since  the  war. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  379 

JOHN  A.  ROGERS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Killed  at  Fair 
Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 

WILHELM  ROTH — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  3,  1863.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve 
Corps,  December  31,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  SHIELDS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral,  October  8,  1863.  Wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5, 
1864.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

JACOB  SCHUYLER — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged 
December  16,  1862,  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Charles 
Cross  Roads,  Va.,  June  30,  1862. 

JAMES  SMITH — Mustered  in  August   6,   1861.      Discharged  August 

29,  1862,  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Charles  City  Cross 
Roads,  Va.,  June  30,  1862. 

JOSEPH  H.  WEEKS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Died  May  15, 
1863,  of  wounds  received  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863. 

JAMES  H.  WIGGINS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  January  8,  1862.  Died  1876. 

JOHN  WOODS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Wounded  at  Second 
Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve 
Corps.  Died  at  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  since  the  war. 

SAMUEL  R.  WTOODS — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Killed  at  Second 
Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

PETER  WEAVER — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral,  March  15,  1862;  to  Sergeant,  March  4,  1863.  Mustered 
out  with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  WHITESIDES — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Wounded 
at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862.  Transferred  to  Veteran 
Reserve  Corps,  January  24,  1864.  Died  since  the  war. 

MICHAEL  WELSH — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  December  13,  1861.  Died  since  the  war. 

LEVI  ALLSHOUSE — Drafted  July  17,  1863.  Wounded  at  Wilder 
ness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  C,  One  Hun 
dred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since 
the  war. 

JOHN  ANDERSON — Drafted  July  11,  1863.  Killed  at  North  Anna 
River,  Va.,  May  24,  1864. 

FRANKLIN  J.  ADAMS — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Died  November 
26,  1863.  Buried  National  cemetery,  Culpepper  Court  House, 
Va.,  block  1,  section  A,  row  3,  grave  99. 

JOHN  W.  BENNETT — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  BURKHEIMER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  December  23,  1861.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  BARTMAN — Drafted  September  4,  1863.     Deserted  September 

30,  1863. 

JOSHUA  BROWN — Recruited  February  27,  1864.  Not  on  muster 
out  roll.  Died  since  the  war. 

RICHARD  COOPER — Drafted  July  11,  1863.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  January  28,  1864.  Died  since  the  war. 


380  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

BENJAMIN  F.  COURSIN — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

MICHAEL  CALLIN — No  record  of  joining  regiment.  Wounded  at 
Fredericksburg,  Va.,  December  12,  1862,  and  discharged  April 
28,  1863,  for  wounds  received  there.  Died  since  the  war. 

PATRICK  CONNOR — Drafted  July  11,  1863.  Captured  June  3, 
1864.  Died  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  November  27,  1864.  Buried 
National  cemetery,  Annapolis,  grave  1609. 

ALEX.  CAMERON — Drafted  September  7,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  K,  and  to  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers  later.  Died  National  Military 
Home,  California,  March  6,  1903.  Buried  San  Barnadino,  Cal. 

PATRICK  DEAN — Recruited  January  3,  1864.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers. 

ANDREW  DOUGLASS — Drafted  July  17,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers. 

WILFRIED  S.  DADY — Drafted  September  8,  1863.  Captured  at  Wil 
derness,  May  5,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  H,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the 
war. 

DANIEL  J.  DELANEY — Drafted  July  17,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

WILLIAM  FIERST — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  Died  September  1,  1902,  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

GEORGE  W.  FISHNELL — Joined  March  21,  1862.  Died  near  Fair 
Oaks,  Va.,  June  28,  1862. 

PATRICK  FORD — Mustered  in  February  25,  1864.  Not  on  muster 
out  roll.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  GEORGE — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

LEBANAH  H.  HETRICK — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOSEPH  HOLMES — Drafted  September  8,  1863.  Deserted  September 
26,  1863. 

JACKSON  JONES — Drafted  July  11,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company 
F,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  JOHNSTON — Mustered  in  August  28,  1862.  Killed  at  Second 
Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

JOHN  JACO — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Died  June  17,  1864,  of  wounds 
received  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Buried  at  National 
cemetery,  Arlington,  Va.,  grave  6138. 

THOMAS  KELLY — Mustered  in  January  16,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  381 

GEORGE  H.  KING — Drafted  July  13,  1863.  Died  at  Fort  Schuyler, 
N.  Y.,  June  15,  1864,  of  wounds  received  at  Wilderness,  Va., 
May  5,  1864. 

JOHN  W.  LYNN — Mustered  in  September  2,  1861.  Wounded  in  front 
of  Petersburg,  Va.,  March  23,  1862;  at  Mine  Run,  Va.,  Decem 
ber  24,  1862,  and  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  6,  1864.  Transferred 
to  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

WILLIAM  MANN — Mustered  in  January  16,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  F,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Killed  at  Petersburg,  Va 

DAVID  MAKOWN — Drafted  July  17,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

THOMAS  McDERMOTT — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  December  31,  1861.  Died  since  the  war. 

ESCEL  PALMER — Drafted  September  3,  1863.  Died  at  Alexandria, 
Va.,  October  12,  1863.  Grave  991. 

PETER  QUINN — Mustered  in  March  18,  1863.  Died  at  Philadel 
phia,  Pa.,  August  5,  1863. 

CHARLES  ROGERS — Drafted  September  9,  1863.  Transferred 
to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  REYNOLDS — Drafted  September  8,  1863.  Deserted  May  5, 
1864. 

ISAAC  SMITH — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company  F, 
One  Hundred  <and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
Died  since  the  war. 

FRANCIS  SNYDER — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  SMITH — Mustered  in  August  6,  1861.  Discharged  August 
29,  1862,  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Charles  City  Cross 
Roads,  Va.,  June  30,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  W.  STANLEY — Mustered  in  September  8,  1862.  Captured 
at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  6,  1864.  Died  in  prison;  date  unknown. 

JAMES   STEVENSON — Drafted  July   21,   1863.      Deserted   June   18, 

1864. 

CORNELIUS  TOBIN — Mustered  in  March  17,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

WILLIAM  H.  THOMPSON — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

PETER  WHEELAN — Mustered  in  November  1,  1861.  Veteran 
Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  Feb 
ruary,  1903. 

NEWTON  WILSON — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Wounded  at  Wilder 
ness,  Va.,  May  6,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  F,  One  Hun 
dred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 


382  UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 

Killed  or  died,  of  wounds.  .  .  . 28 

Died  of  disease 9 

Discharged    32 

Deserted    11 

Transferred  to  other  regiments 39 

Mustered  out ,            .  25 


Total   enrolled 144 

Wounded  in  action.  .  .    38 


HISTORY  OF  COMPANY  I. 


At  a  meeting  called  August  12,  1861,  in  Alliquipa  Hall,  foot 
Market  street,  McKeesport,  Pa.,  for  the  enrollment  and  enlistment 
of  a  company,  Rev.  D.  I.  K.  Rine  a  very  stirring  and  patriotic 
speech,  and  at  its  close  some  sixty-one  young  men  enrolled  their 
names.  Two  days  after  they  left  on  the  steamer  Bayard  for  Camp 
Wilkins,  near  Pittsburgh,  under  command  of  James  F.  Ryan,  who 
was  the  unanimous  choice  as  captain. 

Within  a  week  after  enlisting,  one  hundred  having  been  recruited 
and  added  to  the  company,  we  were  mustered  and  sworn  into  the 
United  States  service  by  Captain  Hays,  U.  S.  A.,  and  immediately, 
via  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  in  box  cars,  went  to  Washing 
ton,  D.  C.,  remaining  over  night  and  part  of  next  day  in  a  large 
barracks  known  as  "The  Soldiers'  Rest,"  when  we  were  sent  out  to 
our  first  camp,  Georgetown,  D.  C.,  and  assigned  to  the  Sixty-third 
Regiment,  without  tents,  uniforms  or  guns,  sleeping  for  the  first 
time  on  the  ground  without  covering,  but  beautifully  refreshed  about 
midnight  with  a  heavy  rainfall.  A  few  days  later  we  were  marched 
to  the  United  States  arsenal  to  receive  guns  and  ammunition.  Will 
we  ever  forget  the  guns  that  fired  from  both  ends?  Took  boat  at 
Washington  to  Alexandria,  Va.,  went  into  Camp  Johnston,  Arlington 
Heights,  Va.  Here  George  W.  Gray,  of  McKeesport,  having  recruited 
some  eighteen  men  which  completed  the  full  complement  of  one 
hundred  and  one  men  which  was  added  to  Company  I,  Color  Company. 
James  P.  Ryan  was  commissioned  as  captain;  George  W.  Gray,  first 
lieutenant;  James  M.  Lysle,  second  lieutenant;  James  M.  Lysle  being 
September  1st  promoted  to  regimental  quartermaster,  was  killed  six 
months  later  at  Pohick  Church,  Va.  James  F.  McMullen,  commis 
sioned  to  fill  vacancy  of  second  lieutenant  September  1,  1861,  vice 
Lieutenant  Lysle,  resigned  July  26,  1862.  David  C.  Crawford  was 
commissioned  September  1,  1864,  second  lieutenant,  vice  James  F. 
McMullen,  resigned.  First  Lieutenant  George  W.  Gray  promoted  as 
captain  Company  C,  transferred  September  1,  1862.  Andrew  C. 
Critchlow  promoted  September  1,  1862,  to  first  lieutenant,  vice 
George  W.  Gray,  transferred  to  captain  Company  C.  Captain  James 
F.  Ryan  promoted  major,  December  19,  1863.  William  Mclntosh  was 
commissioned  January  3,  1864,  captain,  vice  James  F.  Ryan,  pro 
moted  to  major. 


384  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

At  the  close  of  the  three  years'  service,  the  company  was  mustered 
out  September  19,  1864;  those  of  the  company  re-enlisting  as  Veter 
ans,  were  transferred  to  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Penn 
sylvania  Volunteers.  The  enrollment  of  the  company,  including 
recruits,  drafted,  etc.,  numbered  131. 

ROSTER. 

JAMES  F.  RYAN,  Captain — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Major,  December  19,  1863.  Discharged  April  1,  1864.  Died 
since  the  war  at  McKeesport,  Pa. 

GEORGE  W.  GRAY,  First  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Captain  Company  C,  July  26,  1862.  Resigned 
November  10,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  F.  McMULLEN,  Second  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  August  19, 
1861.  Discharged  July  26,  1862. 

JOHN  H.  COOPER,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Dis 
charged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  January  7,  1863,  on  account  of 
disability.  Died  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  January  3,  1906.  Buried  in 
Versailles  cemetery,  McKeesport,  Pa. 

GEORGE  W.  MANSFIELD,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861. 
Killed  at  Nelson's  Farm,  Va.,  June  30,  1862. 

WILLIAM  STACY,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Killed 
at  Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862. 

DAVID  C.  CRAWFORD,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant,  September  1,  1864.  Wounded 
at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863,  and  at  Wilderness,  Va., 
May  6,  1864.  Transferred  as  Captain,  to  Company  E,  One  Hun 
dred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Veteraii 
Volunteer. 

JOHN  H.  WEST,  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Promoted 
to  First  Sergeant,  September  4,  1864.  Veteran  Volunteer. 
Transferred  to  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  as  First  Lieutenant.  Died  since  the 
war. 

ANDREW  C.  CRITCHLOW,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861. 
Promoted  to  First  Lieutenant.  Resigned  January  9,  1863.  Died 
since  the  war. 

JOHN  H.  HOFFMAN,  Corporal— Mustered  in  August  19,  1861. 
Wounded  at  Second  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862.  Promoted  t6 
Sergeant,  May  3,  1863.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

JOHN  MUNKITTRICK,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Dis 
charged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  November  6,  1862.  Died  since 
the  war. 

WILLIAM  SAMPLE,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Dis 
charged  October  25,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  Second  Bull 
Run,  August  29,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

CHRISTOPHER  C.  FAWCETT,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  19, 
1861.  Wounded  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864,  and  at 
Petersburg,  June  19,  1864.  Absent  wounded  at  muster  out. 

JOSEPH  WALTHOUR,  Musician — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861. 
Mustered  out  with  company. 


.     STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  385 

WILLIAM  McINTOSH,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  First  Lieutenant,  May  3,  1863;  to  Captain,  January  3, 
1864.  Wounded  May  22,  1864.  Absent  at  muster  out.  Died 
at  Esplen,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  January  28,  1902. 

JOHN  BELLAS,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Trans 
ferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  September  30,  1863.  Died 
since  the  war. 

W.  P.  WAMPLER,  Musician — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Mus 
tered  out  with  company.  Died  McKeesport,  Pa.,  January  24, 
1907.  Buried  Varsailles  cemetery. 

WILLIAM  BROWN,  Wagoner — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861. 
Wounded  at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Discharged 
February  20,  1863.  Died  January  23,  1896,  at  Stewart  Station, 
Pa.  Buried  Union  cemetery,  Penn  township,  Allegheny  county, 

PRIVATES. 

PHILIP  ALLEBRAND — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.     Promoted  to 

Sergeant.      Died  June  21,   1864,  of  wounds  received  at  Peters 
burg,  Va.,  June  18,  1864. 
JOHN    ALLEBRAND — Mustered    in    August    19,    1861.       Killed    at 

Wilderness,  Va.,  May  6,  1864. 
WILLIAM  AT  WATER — Mustered   in  August   1,   1861.      Promoted  to 

Quartermaster  Sergeant,  September  1,  1862.     Died  July  6,  1886, 

McKeesport,  Pa. 
WILLIAM   BROWN — Mustered   in   August   19,    1861.      Mustered   out 

with  company.     Died  since  the  war. 
JAMES  BICKERSTAFF — Mustered  in  August   19,   1861.      Died  May 

6,  1864,  of  wounds  received  at  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864.     Buried 

National  cemetery,  Fredericksburg,  Va.     Grave  302. 
BAILEY  COOK — Mustered   in  August    19,   1861.      Wounded   at   New 

Market  Cross  Roads,  June  30,  1862.     Discharged  November  19, 

1862.     Died  since  the  war. 
THADDEUS  F.  CLYMER — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.     Promoted 

to  Corporal.     Discharged  February  22,  1864,  for  wounds  received 

at  Mine  Run,  Va.,  November  27,  1863. 
JOHN  CONWAY — Mustered  in  August   19,   1861.      Deserted  August 

15,  1862. 
STACY  CRAIG — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.     Died  July  19,  1862. 

Buried  Cypress  Hill  cemetery,  Long  Island.     Grave  239. 
ROBERT    W.    CLARK — Mustered    in    August    19,    1861.       Deserted 

October  9,  1862. 
GEORGE  DOUGHERTY — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.     Discharged 

on  surgeon's  certificate,  April  30,  1862.     Died  since  the  war. 
JOHN  G.  DOUGHERTY — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.     Discharged 

on  surgeon's  certificate,  October  30,  1862.     Died  since  the  war. 
WILLIAM    DAY — Mustered    in    August    19,    1861.       Died    June    14, 

1862,  of  wounds  received  at  i'air  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 
SANDY  C.  DRENNAN — Mustered  in  August  19.,  1861.     Promoted  to 

Sergeant.      Killed    at   Wilderness,    Va.,    May    5,    1864.      Buried 

National  cemetery,  Fredericksburg,  Va. 


386  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

WILLIAM  DTAS — Mustered  in  August  10,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  August  10,  1863. 

WINFIELD  S.  DAVIS — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged 
December  5,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May 
31,  1862. 

JOSEPH  L.  EVANS — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Sergeant,  August  14,  1862.  Wounded  at  Groveton,  Va.,  August 
29,  1862;  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863;  at  Petersburg, 
Va.,  June  18,  1864;  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  October  2,  1864; 
and  at  Hatcher's  Run,  Va.,  October  27,  1864.  Veteran  Volun 
teer.  Transferred  to  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  as  First  Lieutenant. 

ALBERT  G.  FASOLD — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Died  June 
24,  1862. 

SAMUEL  FIELDS — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  August  10,  1863.  Died  at  McKeesport, 
Pa.,  June  12,  1905.  Buried  Versailles  cemetery. 

HENRY  F.  FREIMANN — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Hospital  Steward  United  States  Army,  March  16,  1863. 

ALEXANDER  D.  FOSTER — Mustered  in  September  19,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Corporal,  August  15,  1862,  and  April  15,  1864. 
Wounded  at  Nelson's  Farm,  Va.,  June  30,  1862,  and  June  18, 
1864.  On  detached  service  in  Battery  B,  N.  J.  Artillery  Sep 
tember  6,  1862,  to  April,  1864.  Absent  wounded  at  muster  out. 

WILLIAM  P.  GILBERT — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Veteran 
Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JOHN  N.  GAMBLE — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862,  and  at  Spottsylvania, 
May  12,  1864.  Promoted  to  Corporal  and  to  Sergeant.  Absent 
at  muster  'out. 

PETER  GALLITAN — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  January  26,  1863. 

JAMES  GALLITAN — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862,  with  loss  of  arm. 
Transferred  to  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  November  15,  1863. 
Died  August  15,  1905,  at  McKeesport,  Pa. 

SAMUEL  GRUBAUGH — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Killed  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

ROBERT  F.  GOULD — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Killed  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

THOMPSON  HOAK — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  August  15,  1905,  at  Manor,  Pa. 

THOMAS  L.  HUNTER — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Promoted  to  Corporal, 
May  6,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company. 

SAMUEL  JAMESON — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Corporal.  Died  May  8,  1864,  of  wounds  received  at  Wilderness, 
Va.,  May  6,  1864.  Buried  National  cemetery,  Fredericksburg, 
Virginia. 

WALTER  JONES — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  October  27,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  387 

JAMES  IRWIN — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  October 
29,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August 
29,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  L.  KING — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  Died  in  McKeesport,  Pa.,  since  the  war. 

JOHN  KEOUGH — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  Sep 
tember  16,  1863,  for  wounds  received  at  Second  Bull  Run,  Va., 
August  29,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

PETER  LAFFERTY — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  LAPE — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  Died 'since  the  war. 

URIAH  MAINS — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  April  22,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JACOB  MAINS — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral,  May  6,  1864.  Participated  in  every  engagement  in  which 
his  company  took  part;  was  never  wounded,  sick  or  absent  a 
day  during  his  three  years'  term  of  service.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  Died  insane  ward,  Allegheny  County  Home,  Pa.,  April 
28,  1907. 

FAUNTLEY  MUSE — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged 
November  28,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  Second  Bull  Run, 
Va.,  August  29,  1862;  loss  of  arm.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  McKELTY — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  October  13,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOSEPH  McCAULEY — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  October  4,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

LUTHER  McMAINS — Mustered  in 'August  19,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company. 

DANIEL  P.   McINTYRE — Mustered   in  August   19,   1861.      Mustered 

out  with  company. 
JOHN  O'NEIL — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.     Captured  at  Manassas 

Junction,  October  26,  1863.     Died  in  Andersonville  Prison,  Ga., 

July  12,  1864.     Grave  3199. 
PATRICK  O'NEILL — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.     Killed  at  Fair 

Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 
JOHN    PRITCHARD — Mustered    in    August    19,    1861.       Discharged 

November  29,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  Nelson's  Farm,  Va., 

June  30,  1862.     Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  W.  PASSMORE — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Mustered 
out  with  company.  Died  since  the  war,  at  McKeesport,  Pa. 

SAMUEL  PERKINS — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Killed  at  Wil 
derness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Buried  National  cemetery,  Fred- 
ericksburg,  Va. 

JOHN  PACKER— Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Transferred  to 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  November  15,  1863.  Died  since  the 
war. 

JOEL  T.  PAINTER — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Corporal,  May  6,  1864.  Wounded  in  front  of  Richmond,  Va., 
1862;  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863;  and  at  Petersburg, 
Va.,  September  19,  1864.  Absent  wounded  at  muster  out. 


388  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

WILLIAM  PACKER — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Transferred  to 
Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  September  1,  1863. 

ISRAEL  PANCOST — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  PARKS — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  by  order 
General  Court  Martial,  January  17,  1863. 

JOHN  C.  PATTERSON — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Promoted  to 
Corporal.  Killed  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Buried  in 
National  cemetery,  Fredericksburg,  Va. 

JOHN  REILLY — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Died  May  18,  1862, 
at  Yorktown. 

JOHN  RAMPP — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.     Died  April  5,  1863. 

JOHN  RHYME — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Captured  and  died 
at  Andersonville  Prison,  June  4,  1864.  Buried  National  ceme 
tery  there.  Grave  1599. 

JAMES  D.  REYNOLDS — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  September  16,  1862. 

RANDOLPH  R.  REYNOLDS — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Dis 
charged  on  surgeon's  certificate,  September  16,  1862. 

ALEXANDER  ROBINSON — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Died  May 
6,  1864,  of  wounds  received  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864. 

ISAAC  SHARP — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  January  26,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

LEVI  B.  SCOTT — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  Septem 
ber  24,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862. 
Died  since  the  war. 

ARCHIBALD  SCOTT — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Wapping  Heights,  July  23,  1*863.  Absent  at  muster  out.  Died 
since  the  war. 

CLEMENT  SMITH — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  January  26,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  SOLES — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Wounded  Nelson's 
Farm,  June  30,  1862.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died 
Braddock,  Pa.,  April  5,  1904. 

OLIVER  R.  SMITH — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Captured  May 
31,  1862.  Died  at  Belle  Isle,  Va.,  prison,  September  2,  1862. 

CHRISTIAN  SNYDER — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  May  24,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

ALEXANDER  E.  TRICH — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Deserted 
and  returned.  Transferred  to  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

FRANCIS  M.  TAYLOR — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  January  31,  1863. 

CHARLES  TAYLOR — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  March  9>  1862.  Died  at  Elizabeth,  Pa., 
since  the  war. 

WESLEY  WOOD — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Died  January  23, 
1862. 

ROBERT  WIPER — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  December  14,  1862. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  389 

JAMES  WIPER — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  April  26,  1862. 

ALEXANDER  WIPER — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Transferred  to  Second 
United  States  Cavalry,  January  6,  1863. 

PETER  WRAY — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  March  26,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

ARCHIBALD  WATSON — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Transferred 
to  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Veteran  Volunteer. 

JOHN  S.  WOLF — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  Decem 
ber  10,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  Second  Bull  Run,  August 
29,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

THEODORE  C.  WALKER — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Dis 
charged  February  3,  1863,  for  wounds  received  at  Fredericks- 
burg,  Va.,  December  14,  1863. 

JOHN  WHITESELL — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Killed  at  Nel 
son's  Farm,  Va.,  June  30,  1862. 

JAMES  WHITESELL — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Killed  at  Nel 
son's  Farm,  Va.,  June  30,  1862. 

WILLIAM  WHIGHAM — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862,  and  at  Wilderness,  Va., 
May  5,  1864.  Absent  wounded  at  muster  out. 

WILLIAM  ZIMMERMAN — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Veteran 
Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

GEORGE  BARNETT — Drafted  July  11,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war! 

STEPHEN  BENNETT — Drafted  July  11,  1863.  Wounded  at  Spott- 
sylvania,  May  12,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  I,  One  Hun 
dred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since 
the  war. 

STEPHEN  BOSSINGER — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  June  10,  1907. 

JAMES  H.  BRISCO — Drafted  September  9,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  BURNWORTH — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  I,  O'ne  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  since  the  war. 

SAMUEL  BIDDLE — Drafted  July  11,  1863.     Deserted  May  5,  1864. 

MATTHEW  CANNON — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  since  the  wai. 

MILTON  COYAN — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  May  11,  1862. 

THOMAS  G.  DOUGLASS — Drafted  July  11,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  October  15,  1903,  at  Boston,  Pa. 


390  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

JACOB   DAVIS — Drafted   July   18,    1863.      Died   at  Alexandria,   Va., 

October  15,  1863.     Grave  1010. 
JOHN  DITMAN — Drafted  July  12,  1863.     Killed  at  Wilderness,  Va., 

May  5,  1864. 
JOHN  DENNEY — Drafted  September   3,   1863.      Deserted   November 

27,  1863. 
THOMAS  H.  EVANS — Mustered  in  August  3,  1864.     Transferred  to 

Company    I,   'One    Hundred   and    Fifth   Regiment,    Pennsylvania 

Volunteers. 

DAVID  FREDERICK — Drafted  July  11,  1863.     Transferred  to  Com 
pany  I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.     Died  since  the  war. 
WILLIAM  GEORGE — Drafted  July  18,  1863.     Killed  at  Wilderness, 

Va.,  May  5,  1864. 
WILSON   GOULD — Mustered   in   August    19,    1861.      Died   September 

29,  1861.     Buried  Military  Asylum  cemetery,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Grave  2377. 
COLEMAN  C.  HUEY — Mustered  in  August  19,  1861.     Discharged  on 

surgeon's  certificate,  November  18,  1861.     Died  since  the  war. 
ISAAC  H.  JONES — Drafted  July  10,  1863.     Wounded  at  Wilderness, 

Va.,  May  5,  1864.     Transferred  to  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and 

Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.     Died  since  the  war. 
JOHN  LOTZ — Drafted  July  13,  1863.     Transferred  to  Company  I,  One 

Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.      Died 

since  the  war. 
WILLIAM  A.  MAHAFFEY — Drafted  July  11,   1863.     Transferred  to 

Company    I,    One    Hundred    and    Fifth   Regiment,    Pennsylvania 

Volunteers.     Died  McKeesport,  Pa.,  March  11,  1898. 
THOMAS  MOORE — Drafted  July  18,  1863.     Transferred  to  Company 

I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

Died  since  the  war. 
BENJAMIN  MEREDITH — Drafted  July  11,  1863.     Died  May  6,  1864, 

of  wounds  received  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864. 
NATHAN  M.  McLELLAND — Drafted  September  9,  1863.     Wounded 

at  Wilderness,  Va.,   May   5,    1864.      Transferred  to  Company  I, 

One    Hundred    and    Fifth    Regiment,    Pennsylvania    Volunteers. 

Died  since  the  war. 
JOSEPH     McMURRAY — Drafted    July     11,     1863.       Transferred    to 

Company    I,    One    Hundred    and    Fifth   Regiment,    Pennsylvania 

Volunteers.     Died  since  the  war. 
WILLIAM   C.    ORRIS — Drafted   September    3,    1863.      Transferred   to 

Company    I,   One    Hundred    and    Fifth    Regiment,    Pennsylvania 

Volunteers. 
SAMUEL    G.    PENNEY — Enlisted    August    19,    1861.      Promoted    to 

Second    Lieutenant    United    States    Army,    November    1,    1861. 

Died  since  the  war. 
HENRY  SHERRY — Drafted  July  18,  1863.     Captured  at  Petersburg, 

January  22,  1864.     Transferred  to  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and 

Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.     Died  since  the  war. 
HENRY  YOUNT — Drafted  July  18,  1863.     Transferred  to  Company 

I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

Died  since  the  war. 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  391 

ISAAC  YOUNT — Drafted  September  5,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  I,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Killed  in  front  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  at  Fort  Hell. 

JACOB  YOUNT — Drafted  July  18,  1863.     Deserted  May  3,  1864. 

Killed  or  died  of  wounds 19 

Died  of  disease 11 

Discharged    36 

Deserted    5 

Transferred  to  other  regiments 33 

Mustered  out 24 

Resigned 2 


Total  enrolled 130 

Wounded  in  action .    37 


HISTORY  OF  COMPANY  K. 

Known  as  the  Hays  Guards. 


Company  K,  Sixty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  was  organized 
as  follows:  Charles  Wesley  Chapman  was  raising  a  company  in 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  the  demand  was  so  great  for  troops  at  Washington 
that  he  joined  the  Sixty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers  at  Washing 
ton,  D.  C.,  with  fifty-four  men;  a  man  named  Lrightner  also  came  to 
the  regiment  with  fifty-two  men  from  Mercer  county. 

These  two  squads  were  consolidated  and  elected  Charles  W.  Chap 
man  as  captain;  William  Hays  Brown  as  first  lieutenant,  and  Theo 
dore  Baggaley  as  second  lieutenant.  The  officer  that  recruited  the 
squad  from  Mercer  county  being  well  along  in  years,  retired. 

The  company  thus  organized  was  given  the  position  of  left  centre 
company  and  designated  as  Company  "K;"  the  colors  of  the  regiment 
had  position  on  right  of  company. 

The  majority  of  the  company  were  native  born;  the  only  Ger 
man  being  Augustus  Moots;  but  there  were  several  of  German  parent 
age;  four  Scotch  and  ten  Irish,  and  the  average  age  was  about  nine 
teen. 

The  history  of  Company  "K"  is  the  history  of  the  regiment,  as 
they  were  never  detached,  and  participated  in  all  the  engagements 
of  the  Sixty-third. 


ROSTER. 

CHARLES  W.  CHAPMAN,  Captain — Mustered  in  September  23,  1861. 
Killed  on  picket,  March  5,  1862. 

WILLIAM  HAYS  BROWN,  First  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  September 
23,  1861.  Promoted  to  Captain,  March  5,  1862.  Died  at  Harris- 
burg,  Pa.,  May  4,  1862. 

THEODORE  BAGGALEY,  Second  Lieutenant — Mustered  in  Septem 
ber  23,  1861.  Promoted  to  First  Lieutenant,  March  5,  1862;  to 
Captain,  May  15,  1862.  Wounded  with  loss  of  arm  at  Malvern 
Hill,  Va.  Discharged  December  15,  1862,  on  account  of  wounds. 
Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  G.  MOWRY,  First  Sergeant —  Mustered  in  -  — ,  1861. 

Promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant,  March  5,  1862.  Dismissed  July 
26,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  McCLEERY,  Fourth  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant,  December  16,  1862. 
Discharged  May  6,  1864,  o^  account  of  wounds. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  393 

GEORGE  B.  CHALMERS,  Second  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1, 
1861.  Promoted  to  First  Lieutenant,  May  15,  1862;  to  Captain, 
December  16,  1862.  Wounded  in  upper  left  arm  at  Fair  Oaks, 
Va.,  May  31,  1862,  and  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864. 
Discharged  on  account  of  wounds,  August  6,  1864. 

THOMAS  W.  BOGGS,  Third  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  Second  Sergeant,  July  26,  1862;  to  First  Lieuten 
ant,  December  16,  1862.  Wounded  at  Bristoe  Station.  Dis 
missed  March  4,  1864.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  STANFORD,  Fifth  Sergeant — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Promoted  to  First  Sergeant,  December  25,  1863,  to  First  Lieu 
tenant,  April,  1864.  Not  mustered.  Wounded  with  loss  of 
arm  at  the  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864.  Veteran  Volunteer. 
Died  August  1,  1903,  at  Philadelphia,  Pa.  Buried  Westminster 
cemetery. 

DANIEL  GROSCOST,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Pro 
moted  to  Sergeant.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  since 
the  war. 

FREDERICK  PATTERSON,  Corporal — Mustered  in  September  6, 
1861.  Promoted  to  Sergeant,  1862.  Absent  sick  at  muster  out. 

JAMES  M.  MENOLD,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Dis 
charged  February  7,  1863,  on  account  of  wounds.  Died  since  the 
war. 

JAMES  CLARK,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
on  surgeon's  certificate,  August  1,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

MARTIN  CLARK,  Captured — Mustered  in  -  — .  Died  in 

prison,  Richmond,  Va.;  date  unknown. 

JONAS  J.  PIERCE,  Corporal — Mustered  in  October  9,  1861.  Dis 
charged  December  16,  1861,  and  appointed  First  Lieutenant  One 
Hundred  and  Eleventh  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JAMES  EGGLESON,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mus 
tered  out  with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  D.  WOODS,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Sergeant.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  PERKINS,  Corporal — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered 
out  with  company. 

REUBEN  BEARCE,  Musician — Mustered  in  Augus  1,  1861.     Veteran 

Volunteer.     Transferred  to  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 

Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 
GEORGE  W.  FITZGERALD,  Musician — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 

Promoted  to  Sergeant.     Wounded  at  Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May 

3,   1863,  and  at  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864.     Mustered  out  with 

company. 
JOHN  M.  BAIR— Mustered  in  August  10,  1861.     Veteran  Volunteer. 

Transferred  to  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 

Pennsylvania   Volunteers.      Died   January    7,    1908,   at   Bassett, 

Neb.     Buried  there. 
WASHINGTON  BELL — Mustered  in  August   1,   1861.      Wounded  at 

Wilderness,  May  5,  1864.      Mustered  out  with  company.     Died 

since  the  war. 
DAVID  W.  BEATTY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Died  February 

7,   1863.     Buried  Soldiers'  Home  cemetery,  Washington,  D.  C., 

grave  3344. 


394  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

JOHN  HARVEY,  Wagoner — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered 
out  with  company. 

JASPER  BENTLEY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  December 
19,  1861. 

JEREMIAH  S.  BUNCE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at 
Chancellorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  Buried  Soldiers'  Home  ceme 
tery,  Washington,  D.  C.  Grave  1729. 

EDMUND  BRINDLEY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate.  Died  since  the  war. 

DAVID  BRAINARD — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Died  1862. 

JAMES  CARNEY— Mustered  in  August  10,  1861.  Veteran  Volun 
teer.  Killed  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864. 

JOHN  CRAIG — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Wilder 
ness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died 
since  the  war. 

JAMES  CONNOLLY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral.  Prisoner  from  June  22,  1864,  to  November  26,  1864. 
Discharged  February  16,  1865.  Died  since  the  war. 

ELIPHALET  CROW — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  York- 
town,  Va. 

JOSEPH  COXEN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran  Volunteer. 
Transferred  to  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Killed  at  Hatcher's  Run,  Va.,  October, 
1864. 

WILLIAM  DRAKE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
account  of  wounds,  March  26,  1863. 

JAMES  DAVIS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company. 

WILLIAM  DAVIS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  of  wounds, 
February  16,  1864. 

DAVID  A.  DAVIS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  Died  at  National  Military  Home,  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
June  17,  1906.  Buried  there. 

PATRICK  DELANEY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Absent  wounded  at  muster  out. 

ROBERT  DUNHAM — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
account  of  wounds  received  November  27,  1862.  Died  since  the 
war. 

SAMUEL  DUNHAM — Mustered  in  August  10,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company. 

JOHN  DOUGAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  July  1,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

WILLIAM  EVANS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  account  blindness,  April  13,  1863.  Died  since 
the  war. 

HENRY  W.  EBERMAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  May  3, 
1862,  at  Yorktown,  Va.  Buried  in  National  cemetery  there, 
grave  228. 

MORGAN  EATON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at  Harmony 
Hospital,  September  8,  1862.  Buried  National  cemetery,  Arling 
ton,  Va.  Grave  11,999. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  395 

I.  HAYS  DEAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran  Volunteer. 
Transferred  to  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  December  29,  1900,  at  Beaver 
Falls,  Pa.  Buried  Grove  cemetery,  New  Brighton,  Pa. 

ROBERT  FERGUSON — Mustered  in  August  10,  1861.  Discharged 
September  15,  1862,  on  account  of  wounds  received  March  5, 
1862. 

JOHNSON  FULLER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Veteran  Volun 
teer.  Transferred  to  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regi 
ment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Died  since  the  war. 

HENRY  FRITSCH — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
with  company.  Died  at  National  Military  Home,  Ohio,  July  5, 
1899.  Buried  there. 

THOMAS  FARRELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  May  5,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died 
since  the  war. 

JAMES  0.  FLOWER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  March  22,  1862.  Died  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 
November  8,  1906. 

JOHN  G.  GREEN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Second 
Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

JAMES  GRACE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  December  18,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

REUBEN  GEORGE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged 
November  4,  1862,  on  account  of  wounds.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  GASKILL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Peters 
burg,  Va.,  January  18,  1864. 

HENRY  HARRIS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  WTounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862. 

NATHAN  P.  HOFFMAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered 
out  with  company. 

ROBERT  HODGE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Second 
Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

JAMES  Q.  HODGE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  12,  1864.  Absent  sick  at  muster  out. 

THOMAS  HOLLABAUGH — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died 
December  19,  1861,  at  Camp  Johnston,  Va.  Buried  Soldiers' 
Home  cemetery,  Washington,  D.  C.  Grave  4262. 

STEWART  HODGE — Mustered  in  August  10,  1861.  Deserted 
December  13,  1862. 

GEORGE  W.  HILDERBRAND — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861. 
Wounded.  Discharged  February  24,  1862,  on  account  of  wounds. 
Died  since  the  war. 

ANDREW  JONES — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
account  of  disability. 

JACOB  KEITH — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Second  Bull 
Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

FREDERICK  LATHERS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded 
at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  3,  1864.  Promoted  to  Corporal,  July, 
1863.  Mustered  out  with  company.  Died  at  New  Castle,  Pa., 
October  4,  1906.  Buried  Oak  Park  cemetery. 


396  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

JAMES  KENNEDY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  January  2,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

EDWARD  KELLY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at  York- 
town,  Va.,  May  13,  1862.  Buried  in  National  cemetery  there. 
Grave  352. 

JOHN  P.  LINN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at  Chancel- 
lorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  Discharged  November  27,  1863,  on 
account  of  wounds. 

MICHAEL  MURRAY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  February  25,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

MICHAEL  MURRAY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Died  1862. 

WILLIAM  MYERS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  February  19,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  MULLIN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  Died  since  the  war. 

JAMES  MORAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Wilder 
ness,  Va.,  May  6,  1864. 

ALFRED  MITCHELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Buried 
National  cemetery,  Fredericksburg,  Va.  Grave  4144. 

JAMES  McKELVY — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company. 

MART  McGRAW — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Deserted. 

HIRAM  MITCHELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at  York- 
town,  Va.,  June  2,  1862.  Buried  National  cemetery  there,  grave 
1133. 

ALEXANDER  MITCHELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864. 

JAMES  M.  MITCHELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     No  record. 

ROBERT  H.  MARTIN — Mustered  in  Augusr  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  September  25,  1862.  Died  since  the  war. 

AUGUSTUS  MOOTZ — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Second 
Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

GEORGE  MULHOLLAND — Mustered  in  October  9,  1861.  Deserted 
December  13,  1862. 

WILLIAM  M.  McGRANAHAN — Mustered  in  1861.  Promoted  to  Ser 
geant  Major,  May  12,  1862;  to  Adjutant,  November  12,  1862. 
Died  May  30,  1863,  of  wounds  received  at  Chancellorsville,  Va., 
May  3,  1863. 

HUGH  McCANN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  at  Yorktown, 
Va.,  June  16,  1862. 

SAMUEL  McDOWELL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out 
with  company.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  McKAYE — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at  Fred 
ericksburg,  Va.,  December  13,  1863. 

DAVID  L.  McQUISTON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Absent  wounded  at  muster  out. 

ROBERT  D.  McKEAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  January  27,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 

MILES  McCULLOUGH — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  September  29,  1863.  Died  since  the  war. 


STORY  OF  THE   SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  397 

WILLIAM  A.  McMILLIN- — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  May 
16,  1864.,  from  wounds  received  at  Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5, 
1864. 

WILLIAM  C.  MIMS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Transferred  to 
Regular  Army. 

ROBERT  ORR — Mustered  in  August  10,  1861.  Wounded  at  Second 
Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862.  Promoted  to  Corporal,  October 
30,  1862.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  K,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers, 

WALTER  J.  REED — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Gettysburg,  Pa.,  July  3,  1863.  Promoted  to  Corporal.  Mus 
tered  out  with  company. 

SAMUEL  C.  RUST — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certifiacte,  March  17,  1863. 

WOODS  REED — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Died  in  hospital, 
April  21,  1862. 

JOHN  M.  SMITH — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Promoted  to  Cor 
poral.  Veteran  Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  K,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

WILLIAM  SMITH — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on  sur 
geon's  certificate,  October  10,  1863. 

THOMAS  SCULLY — Mustered  in  August  10,  1861.  Discharged 
January  21,  1863,  on  account  of  wounds  received  at  Second 
Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

SAMUEL  R.  STAMBAUGH — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered 
out  with  company. 

WILLIAM  H.  SHANER — Mustered  in  September  5,  1861.  Promoted 
to  Corporal.  Wounded  at  Spottsylvania,  Va.,  May  12,  1864. 
Mustered  out  with  company. 

JOHN  STEISTER — Mustered  in .  Died  at  Chesepeake 

Hospital,  September  12,  1862. 

JOHN  STOFF — Mustered  in  -  — .  Discharged  on  sur 

geon's  certificate,  December  30,  1861.  Died  since  the  war. 

ROBERT  WESTERMAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Killed  at 
Second  Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

JAMES  WHALEN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Mustered  out  with 
company.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOHN  WILLIAMS — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.     Mustered  out  with 

company.      Died  since  the  war. 
AMOS   F.   WADDLE — Mustered   in  August   1,    1861.      Died  June   13, 

1862,  at  Yorktown,  Va.     Buried  National  cemetery  there,  grave 

1210. 

DANIEL  B.  YOUNG — Mustered  in  August  10,  1861.  Killed  Second 
Bull  Run,  Va.,  August  29,  1862. 

JEREMIAH  HETZEL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Wounded  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Mustered  out  with  company. 
Died  since  the  war. 

THOMAS  JACKSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  December  20,  1861.  Died  since  the  war. 

JOSEPH  JACKSON — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Discharged  on 
surgeon's  certificate,  January  17,  1863"  Died  since  the  war. 


398  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

HENRY  HETZEL — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Right  arm  ampu 
tated.  Discharged  March  21,  1863,  on  account  of  wounds. 
Died  since  the  war. 

DEXTER  GREENMAN — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861.  Transferred 
to  Invalid  Corps.  Died  1908. 

FRANK  RAFTER — Mustered  in  August  1,  1861  Wounded  at  Sec 
ond  Bull  Run  and  Hatcher's  Run.  Re-enlisted.  Transferred  to 
Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Peennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

THOMAS  SHANER — Mustered  in  February  21,  1863.  Killed  at 
Wilderness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864. 

DARIUS  ANTHONY — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers. 

THOMAS  BEIL — Joined  February  24,  1862.  Wounded  at  Chancel- 
lorsville,  Va.,  May  3,  1863.  Transferred  to  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JAMES  BUZZARD — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers.  Died  January  3,  1865.  Buried  in  National  cemetery, 
Annapolis,  Md,  Grave  276. 

ELIJAH  BERCE — Mustered  in  February  22,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

JACOB  BARNHART — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Deserted  November 
23,  1863. 

ROBERT  R.  BEATTY — Drafted  July  14,  1863.  Wounded  in  front 
of  Petersburg,  Va.  Transferred  to  Company  K,  One  Hundered 
and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

H.  J.  CHRISTMAN — Mustered  in  February  27,  1864.  Transferred  to 
Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

LUTHER  L.  CALKINS — Drafted  July  7,  1863.  Wounded  at  Wilder 
ness,  Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  K,  One  Hun 
dred  ai^d  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

ALEXANDER  CAMERON — Drafted  September  7,  1863.  Transferred 
to  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers.  Died  March  6,  1903,  at  San  Bernandino,  Cal. 

REYNOLD  CUMMINGS — Drafted  September  7,  1863.  Captured. 
Died  Andersonville  Prison,  September  27,  1864.  Buried 
National  cemetery,  grave  9823. 

FUNK  FREEL — Drafted  September  4,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun- 
Volunteers. 

DANIEL  J.  HASS — Mustered  in  February  24,  1862.  Re-enlisted. 
Transferred  to  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JOHN  HECKMAN — Mustered  in  February  24,  1862.  Re-enlisted. 
Transferred  to  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

LEMUEL  KEMP — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Deserted  September  23, 
1863. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  399 

WILLIAM  HARPER — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers. 

JOHN  L.  KEAGY — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Wounded  at  Wilderness, 
Va.,  May  5,  1864.  Transferred  to  Company  K,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifth.  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

THOMAS  KELLY— Drafted  September  3,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers. 

GEORGE  MYERS — Drafted  July  11,  1863.  Transferred  to  Company 
K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

GEORGE  H.  REEDY — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers. 

DAVENPORT  REILY — Drafted  September  7,  1863.  Deserted  Octo 
ber  14,  1863. 

JAMES  H.  RAMESBURG — Drafted  July  16,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

RUSSELL  WELLER — Mustered  in  February  24,  1862.  Veteran 
Volunteer.  Transferred  to  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

JOHN  WELLER — Mustered  in  March  7,  1864.  Transferred  to  Com 
pany  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers. 

ALEXANDER  WALLS — Drafted  July  18,  1863.  Transferred  to 
Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers. 

Killed  or  died  of  wounds 18 

Died   of   disease 19 

Discharged     33 

Deserted    6 

Dismissed    2 

Transferred  to  other  regiments 27 

Mustered  out 31 

Total    enrolled 136 

Wounded  in  action .    34 


400  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

VETERAN  VOLUNTEERS. 

Partial  list  of  members  of  the  Sixty-third  Regiment  who  re-enlisted 
for  three  years  as  Veteran  Volunteers: 

Squad  enlisted  by  Captain  W.  P.  Hunker,  of  Company  A,  and  mus 
tered  in  near  Culpepper,  Va.,  February  25,  1864,  by  Lieutenant 
William  P.  Shrere: 

Jacob  Lonerbock,  John  Lef.evere,  Richard  Warden,  Matthew 
Schafer,  George  Warden,  George  D.  Punkhauser,  Henry  Hamma, 
William  Hamma,  John  R.  Osborn,  Byron  Cowan,  Harrison  Lacy, 
Joseph  Loll,  Joseph  Lichtenberger,  Anthony  Torry,  William  R. 
Nicholson,  William  J.  Graham,  Samuel  C.  Derwoody,  Robert  B. 
McCoy,  George  W.  Taylor,  Simen  Blystone,  Thomas  L.  Martin,  Wil 
liam  S.  Whitman,  Patrick  Dean,  William  Dougherty,  William  Zim 
merman,  William  Gilbert. 

Squad  mustered  in  at  Brandy  Station,  Va.,  January  4,  1864: 

Robert  Orr,  John  M.  Bair,  Joseph  Coxen,  George  Colston,  Ivester 
Hays  Dean,  Johnston  Fuller,  Daniel  Haas,  John  Heckman,  James  M. 
Kincaid,  Joseph  Markle,  Jonathan  McCurdy,  George  Stokes,  Russell 
Wellar. 


DRAFTED  MEN. 


Name. 

Peter  Amberger, 
Levi  Aras, 
Levi  Alshouse, 
John   F.   Amment, 
Robert  H.  Bruce, 
Henry   Bowers, 
James  F.  Blancett, 
Stephen  Bossinger, 
Robert  K.  Beaty, 
George  A.  Brown, 
Matthew  Cannon, 
John  C.  Church, 
William  Conboy, 
Levi   Claypole, 
Henry  Cornwall, 
John  Campbell, 
Craige  Carney, 
James  Devane, 
Robert  Davidson, 
John  Darby, 
Daniel  J.  Delaney, 
Jacob  Davis, 
John  Denny, 
Alex.  J.  Dies, 
Andrew  Eicher, 
Jacob  W.  Eyman, 
Calvin  Ehriger, 
John  Flemming, 

Frank  Freely, 
Andrew  S.  Fry, 
Shadrach  Fuller, 
William  Godfrey, 


;d  men  drafted  and  mustered  into  service  in 

mt,   by   Captain   Fielding,   One   Hundred   and 

ylvan 

ia  Volunteers: 

' 

Age. 

Occupation. 

Date  and  Place  Muster 

27, 

Farmer, 

Sept.   2,  Meadville,  Pa. 

20, 

Laborer, 

July  22,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

20, 

Farmer, 

July  17,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

22, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

25, 

Carpenter, 

July  13,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

28, 

Laborer, 

July  13,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

22, 

Boatman, 

July  17,  New  Brighton, 

32, 

Carpenter, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

24, 

Laborer, 

July  1  4  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

25, 

Sawyer, 

July  1  6  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

37, 

Farmer, 

July  16,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

23, 

Laborer, 

July  1  6,  Green&burg,  Pa. 

23, 

Sailor, 

Sept.  1,  Waterford,  Pa. 

38, 

Farmer, 

July  17,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

21, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  3,  Waterford,  Pa. 

34, 

Furnaceman, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

24, 

Farmer, 

July  1  3  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

22, 

Laborer, 

July  1  6  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

21, 

Laborer, 

Sept.   2,  Meadville,  Pa. 

33, 

Laborer, 

July  1  6  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

21, 

Carpenter, 

July  17,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

21, 

Miner, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

29, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  3,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

30, 

Miner, 

July  17,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

28, 

Farmer, 

July  1  6  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

29, 

Blacksmith, 

July  7,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

21, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

21, 

Rolling  mill 

Hand, 

July  10,  Pittsburgh,  Pa 

24, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  4,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

23, 

Laborer, 

July  1  6  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

36, 

Laborer, 

July  1  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

25, 

Printer, 

Sept.   2,  Meadville,  Pa. 

402 


UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 


Name. 

Age. 

Occupation. 

Date  and  Place  Muster 

Adam  Garries, 

18, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  2,  Waterford,  Pa. 

Michael    Gleason, 

27, 

Steward, 

Sept.  1,  Waterford,  Pa. 

Charles  B.   Gardner, 

21, 

Clerk, 

Sept.  3,  Waterford,  Pa. 

James  Gallagher, 

30, 

Miner, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

William  George, 

21, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

George  Hinchliffe, 

37, 

Wool  dyer, 

July  1  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

John    Hagan, 

22, 

Farmer, 

July  1  6  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

Charles  Higgins, 

20, 

Boatman, 

Sept.   2,  Meadville,  Pa. 

Cornelius  Hoffman, 

23, 

Carpenter, 

Sept.   2,  Meadville,  Pa. 

Edmund    Hill, 

23, 

Cotton  spinner 

Sept.  3,  Waterford,  Pa. 

Christ  Heliger, 

31, 

Laborer, 

July  10,  Pittsburgh,  Pa 

William  Harper, 

33, 

Blacksmith, 

July  16,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

Isaac  H.  Jones, 

28, 

Blacksmith, 

July  10,  New  Brighton, 

Wilder  Jackson, 

18, 

Farmer, 

Sept.   2,  Meadville,  Pa. 

John  M.  Jones, 

22, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  2,  Waterford,  Pa. 

Charles  Jones, 

37, 

Boatman, 

Aug.   4,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Robert  Johnston, 

24, 

Farmer, 

July  14,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

William  Kline, 

25, 

Farmer, 

July  1  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

Samuel  S.  Kemp, 

26, 

Farmer, 

July  16,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

Thomas  Kelly, 

30, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  3,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

George  H.   King, 

27, 

Blacksmith, 

July  13,  New  Brighton, 

John  L.  Keagy, 

30, 

Farmer, 

July  1  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

John  Lutz, 

23, 

Farmer, 

July  13,  New  Brighton, 

Smith  Lydrick, 

22 

Laborer, 

July  1  3  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

Aaron  Linderman, 

20, 

Farmer, 

July  1  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

John   Leech, 

33, 

Blacksmith, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

John  W.  Lynn, 

30, 

Papermaker, 

July  16,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

Edwin  Marquis, 

37, 

Carpenter, 

July  24,  New  Brighton, 

Samuel  G.  Morehead, 

21, 

Laborer, 

Sept.   5,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Daniel  Miller, 

31, 

Farmer, 

July  7,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

George  Metz, 

22, 

Coachmaker, 

July  10,  Pittsburgh,  Pa 

Thomas  Moore, 

23, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

William  Milligan, 

24, 

Laborer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Jeremiah  McMullen, 

21, 

Laborer, 

July  1  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

29, 

Farmer, 

July  1  4  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

23, 

Farmer, 

July  17,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

39, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

I^rank  Nichols, 

25, 

Shoemaker, 

July  23,  New  Brighton, 

William   C.    Orris, 

19, 

Boatman, 

Sept.  3,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

James  O'Neil, 

27, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  4,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Joseph  O'Brien, 

32, 

Laborer, 

July  1  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

Albert  Papka, 

30, 

Coppersmith, 

Sept.  4,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Asel  Farmer, 

19, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  3,  Waterford,  Pa. 

Joseph  Rudler, 

29, 

Farmer, 

Sept.  2,  Meadville,  Pa. 

STORY  OB"  THE   SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT 


403 


Charles  F.  Raymond, 
J.   P.   Rossenberger, 
John  H.  Romesburg, 
Phillip  Sutton, 
John   Shupe, 
James  Smith,     . 
H.  C.  Stopp, 
M.   Schermerhorn, 
Samuel  K.   Shipley, 
Wilson  M.  Stills, 
Matthew  Smith, 
Herman  Sperger, 
James  Stevenson, 
C.  W.   Smallman, 
David   Slagle, 
Francis  Snyder, 
Samuel  Sharp, 
Hampton  Thompson, 
H.  D.  Thompson, 
William  Williams, 
Isaac  Yount, 
David  T.  Watters, 
Newton  Wilson, 
Yens   P.    Yohanson, 


29, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  3,  Waterford,  Pa. 

25, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

28, 

Laborer, 

July.l  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

35, 

Farmer, 

July  16,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

20, 

Farmer, 

July  1  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

25, 

Farmer, 

Sept.  2,  Meadville,  Pa. 

27, 

Brakeman, 

Sept.   2,  Meadville,  Pa. 

19, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  2,  Waterford,  Pa. 

20, 

Farmer, 

July  1  6  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

20, 

Laborer, 

July  1  3  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

26, 

Laborer, 

July  28,  New  Brighton, 

34, 

Shoemaker, 

Sept.   4,  Meadville,  Pa. 

21, 

Laborer, 

July  21,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

44, 

Shoemaker, 

July  1  3,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

33, 

Miner, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

34, 

Blacksmith, 

July  1  6  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

20, 

Laborer, 

Sept.   7,  Meadville,  Pa. 

33, 

Laborer, 

July  20,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

34, 

Coachmaker, 

July  16,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

22, 

Moulder, 

Sept.   3,  Meadville,  Pa. 

24, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  5,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

22, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  3,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

20, 

Laborer, 

July  1  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

26, 

Blacksmith, 

Sept.  8,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Squad  of  one  hundred  men  drafted  and  mustered  into  service  in 
the  Sixty-third  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  by  Captain  W. 
A.  F.  Stockton,  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fortieth  Regiment,  Pennsyl 
vania  Volunteers: 


Name.  Age.          Occupation. 

John  Ashbough,  22,  Farmer, 

David   Ashton,  25,  Laborer, 

Franklin  J.  Adams,  21,  Laborer, 

Levi  Bush,  19,  Farmer, 

George  Barnett,  28,  Coal    digger, 

Samuel  Biddle,  24,  Laborer, 

Andrew  J.  Brown,  24,  Laborer, 

Stephen  Bennett,  25,  Railroader, 

James  Brine,  18,  Boatman, 

John  Bartman,  29,  Laborer, 

L.  S.  Brown,  23,  Cooper, 

James  W.  Babcock,  18,  Farmer, 

John  Becker,  23,  Laborer, 

John   Bennett,  20,  Laborer, 


Date  and  Place  Muster 
July  17,  Allegheny,  Pa. 
July  1 6 ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 
July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 
Sept.  7,  Allegheny,  Pa. 
July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
July  10,  Pittsburgh, Pa. 
July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
Sept.  5,  Meadville,  Pa. 
Sept.  4,  Waterford,  Pa. 
Sept.  4,  Waterford,  Pa. 
Sept.  7,  Waterford,  Pa. 
Sept.  7,  Waterford,  Pa. 
July  1 6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 


404 


UNDER    THE    RED    PATCH 


Name. 

Jacob  Barnhart, 
John  Biggerton, 
John  Boger, 
Robert  Barr, 
Oliver  P.  Boyd, 
Conrad  Barstock, 
John   Bleakney, 
Daniel  Bailey, 
James  Curtin, 
Ronald    Cummings, 
Patrick  Conner, 
Luther  Calkins, 
Alexander  Cameron, 
Harrison  Calen, 
Anthony  M.  Creyton, 
Benj.  P.  Coursin, 
Samuel  Cassady, 
John  Dittman, 
John  Dandly, 
Riley  J.  Davinport, 
Ferdinand  W.  Diehl, 
James  Day, 
Thomas  C.  Douglas, 
Mathew  Egleson, 
David  Frederick, 
Ezra  Funk, 
William  George, 
Daniel  Geerhart, 
William  S.   Grier, 
Robert  J.  Gaskell, 
James  Gracey, 
John  Hefflefinger, 
Labannah  H.  Hetrick, 
Lee  Hileman, 
Ami  Hager, 
Joseph  Holme, 
Isaac  Harr, 
Samuel  Himes, 
Josiah  M.  Hays, 
Andrew  Henderson, 
George  P.  Hartzel, 
Francis  M.  Hull, 
John  Henderson, 
Peter  Jacob, 


Age. 

Occupation. 

Date  and  Place  Muster 

43, 

Shoemaker, 

July  16,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

26, 

Miner, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

21, 

Farmer, 

July  16,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

30, 

Gardner, 

July  10,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

32, 

Farmer, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

21, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

39, 

Farmer, 

July  17,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

35, 

Laborer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

22, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  5,  Waterford,  Pa. 

24, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  7,  W'aterford,  Pa. 

24, 

Laborer, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

18, 

Cooper, 

Sept.   7,  Meadville,  Pa. 

30, 

Watchmaker, 

Sept.  7,  Waterford,  Pa. 

33, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

34, 

Shoemaker, 

July  1  3  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

22, 

Shoemaker, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

32, 

Laborer, 

July  16,Greensburg,  Pa. 

34, 

Laborer, 

July  12,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

21, 

Laborer, 

Sept.   4,  Meadville,  Pa. 

18, 

Farmer, 

Sept.  7,  Waterford,  Pa. 

27, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  7,  Waterford,  Pa. 

27, 

Plasterer, 

Sept.   8,  Meadville,  Pa. 

25, 

Farmer, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

29, 

Laborer, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

21, 

Railroader, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

33, 

Farmer, 

July  11,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

21, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

22, 

Farmer, 

July  11,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

24, 

Gas  fitter, 

July  14,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

19, 

Farmer, 

Sept.   9,  Meadville,  Pa. 

37, 

Laborer, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

22, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

25, 

Miner, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

19, 

Farmer, 

Sept.  10,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

26, 

Farmer, 

July  1  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

21, 

Engineer, 

Sept.   8,  Meadville,  Pa. 

23, 

Laborer, 

July  1  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

18, 

Farmer, 

Sept.  9,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

20, 

Farmer, 

July  16,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

21, 

Laborer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

27, 

Laborer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

18, 

Farmer, 

Sept.  7,  Waterford,  Pa. 

23, 

Sailor, 

Sept.  9,  Waterford,  Pa. 

35, 

Shoemaker, 

Sept.  5,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

STORY  OF  THE   SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT 


405 


Name. 

Age. 

Occupation. 

Date  and  Place  Muster 

Samuel  S.  Jack, 

21, 

Shoemaker, 

July  17,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Jackson  Jones, 

33, 

Miner, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

John  Jaco, 

30, 

Farmer, 

July  1  6  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

John  Isaman, 

41, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Henry  Klugh, 

22, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Henry  H.  Keener, 

22, 

Farmer, 

July  14,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

John  C.  F.  Keys, 

23, 

Miner, 

Sept.   8,  Meadville,  Pa. 

David  Lanker, 

18, 

Farmer, 

Sept.  9,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Samuel  Livengood, 

20, 

Farmer, 

July  1  6  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

William  Long, 

22, 

Clerk, 

July  1  4  ,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

Jacob  W.  Leech, 

26, 

Farmer, 

July  1  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

Benj.  F.  Meredith, 

23, 

Laborer, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

William  Mehaffey, 

28, 

Farmer, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

George  Meyers, 

28, 

Farmer, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Henry  Marquet, 

40, 

Farmer, 

Sept.  4,  Waterford,  Pa. 

George  Morrison, 

19, 

Farmer, 

Sept.  7,  Waterford,  Pa. 

John  Marsh, 

35, 

Farmer, 

Sept.  7,  Waterford,  Pa. 

Samuel  Mulberger, 

29, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

John  C.    Moore, 

26, 

Cooper, 

July  14,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

Joseph  McMunn, 

22, 

Farmer, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

J.  D.  Prosser, 

18, 

Clerk, 

Sept.  4,  Waterford,  Pa. 

Abraham   S.    Riggle, 

26, 

Laborer, 

July  17,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

John    W.    Rike, 

20, 

Farmer, 

July  14,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

John   Reynold, 

33, 

Plasterer, 

Sept.   8,  Meadville,  Pa. 

Isaac    L.    Rearick, 

28, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Emery   E.   Stitt, 

23, 

Carpenter, 

July  17,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

George  Shive, 

18, 

Boatman, 

Sept.   5,  Meadville,  Pa. 

George  C.  Smith, 

18, 

Farmer, 

Sept.  7,  Waterford,  Pa. 

Harmon   Sneer, 

25, 

Laborer, 

Sept.  7,  Waterford,  Pa. 

Jacob    Sheckengost, 

22, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

George  W.  Shick, 

18, 

Shoemaker, 

Sept.  9,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

John  C.  Short, 

26, 

Bricklayer, 

July  1  3,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

William  Thomas, 

22, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Fayette  Thorn, 

26, 

Baker, 

Sept.  7,  Waterford,  Pa. 

David   J.    Thomas, 

31, 

Laborer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Isaac  Smith, 

21, 

Shoemaker, 

July  1  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

William  Stewart, 

24, 

Sadler, 

July  16,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

Joseph  Schrack, 

23, 

Farmer, 

July  1  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

Alexander    Walker, 

33, 

Sailor, 

Sept.  4,  Waterford,  Pa. 

Henry  B.  White, 

24, 

Carpenter, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Charles  Warner, 

20, 

Farmer, 

Sept.   8,  Meadville,  Pa. 

Martin  L.  Willets, 

22, 

Farmer, 

July  13,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

406 


UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 


Squad  of  fifty  men  drafted  and  mustered  into  service  in  the  Sixty- 
third  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  by  Captain  George  Weaver, 
of  Company  C: 

Name. 

Derius  Anthony, 
Andrew  Alderman, 
John  Anderson, 
James  Buzzard, 
John  Bauer, 
Thomas  Bryant, 
John   Bammer, 
John    Burnworth, 
R.   K.   Burchfield, 
James  F.   Briscoe, 
F.   C.   Burket, 
Chas.   L.   Brooks, 
Richard  Cooper, 
Martin  Clark, 
Andrew  Douglass, 
Wilford  Dady, 
Findley  Edwards, 
Archibald  Gilchrist, 
Thomas  Hollobough, 
Benjamin  W.  Hull, 
Thomas  Johnson, 
David  Kiddie, 
Elias  Kunselman, 
John  Kunselman, 
Warren  Kniffer, 
Sylons  Leasure, 
James  Markal, 
N.   H.    McClelland, 
William  Olinger, 
Phillip    Reesman, 
Isaac  Rittinger, 
John  Rittinger, 
George  H.  Reedy, 
John  Rickey, 
Charles  Rogers, 
William  C.  Smith, 
William  Snyder, 
John   Smith, 
John  Solday, 
H.   Shreckenghost, 
J.   Shreckenghost, 


Age. 

Occupation. 

Date  and  Place  Muster 

32, 

Miner, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

21, 

Farmer, 

Sept.   9,  Meadville,  Pa. 

28, 

Laborer, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

29, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

23, 

Laborer, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

21, 

Laborer, 

Sept.   9,  Meadville,  Pa. 

19, 

Farmer, 

Sept.   9,  Meadville,  Pa. 

24, 

Shoemaker, 

July  1  6,  Greensburg,  Pa. 

33, 

Justice   Peace, 

Sept.  8,  Waterford,  Pa. 

18, 

Teamster, 

Sept.  9,  Waterford,  Pa. 

25, 

Farmer, 

Sept.  9,  Waterford,  Pa. 

18, 

Farmer, 

Sept.  9,  Waterford,  Pa. 

26, 

Wagonmaker, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

22, 

Boatman, 

Sept.   9,  Meadville,  Pa. 

29, 

Farmer, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

23, 

Cabinetmaker, 

Sept.  8,  Waterford,  Pa. 

23, 

Sailor, 

Sept.   9,  Meadville,  Pa. 

26, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

30, 

Laborer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

23, 

Boatman, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

22, 

Bartender, 

Sept.  8,  Waterford,  Pa. 

29, 

Miner, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

33, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

35, 

Farmer, 

Sept.  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

22, 

Cooper, 

Sept.   9,  Meadville,  Pa. 

30, 

Laborer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

21, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

21, 

Cordwainer, 

Sept.  9,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

22, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

25, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

23, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

23, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

21, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

21, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

26, 

Carpenter, 

Sept.   9,  Meadville,  Pa. 

25, 

Farmer, 

Sept.   9,  Meadville,  Pa. 

25, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

28, 

Miner, 

July  11,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

25, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

24, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

24, 

Farmer, 

July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  407 

Name.  Age.          Occupation.  Date  and  Place  Muster 

Silas  Schall,  20,  Farmer,  July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Henry  Sherry,  32,  Carpenter,  July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Wm.  W.  Thompson,          22,  Farmer,  July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Charles  Vanpelt,  19,  Carpenter,  Sept.   9,  Meadville,  Pa. 

James  Wilson,  27,  Farmer,  July  11,  Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Alexander  Walls,  20,  Farmer,  July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Adam   Wensel,  31,  Farmer,  July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Henry  Yount,  31,  Farmer,  July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Jacob  Yount,  28,  Carpenter,  July  18,  Allegheny,  Pa. 


TITLES  OF  COMPANIES  PREVIOUS  TO  BEING 

MUSTERED  INTO  THE  SIXTY-THIRD 

REGIMENT. 


Company  A — "Kelly  Guards." 

•    Captain — J.  M.  C.  Berringer. 
First  Lieutenant — William  Smith. 
Second  Lieutenant — Wm.  N.  Haymaker. 
First  Sergeant — Wm.  P.  Hunker. 

Company  B — No  title. 

Captain — William  Kirkwood. 
First  Lieutenant — T.  L.  Maynard. 
Second  Lieutenant— Samuel  Taylor. 
First  Sergeant — Henry  Hurst. 

Company  C — "Hanna's  Light  Guards." 
Captain — Jason  R.  Hanna. 
First  Lieutenant— Jos.  A.  Schonlaw. 
Second  Lieutenant — C.  W.  Taylor. 
First  Sergeant — Henry  Hurst. 

Company  D — "Pittsburgh  Fire  Zouaves." 
Captain — Henry   O.    Ormsby. 
First  Lieutenant — B.  F.  Dunham. 
Second  Lieutenant — J.  C.  McAnninch. 
First  Sergeant — J.  Henry  Miller. 

Company  E — "Etna  Infantry." 

Captain — John  A.  Danks. 
First  Lieutenant — John  M'cClelland. 
Second  Lieutenant — Wm.  J.  McElroy. 
First  Sergeant — W.  J.  Marks. 

Company  F — No  title. 

Company  G — "Morgan  Guards." 

Captain — Chas.   W.   McHenry. 
First  Lieutenant — S.  H.  Cochran. 
Second  Lieutenant — Hugh  P.  Fulton. 
First  Sergeant — James  Whelan. 

Company  H — "McCullough  Guards." 

Captain — Chas.  B.  McCullough. 
First  Lieutenant — Hugh  P.  Fulton. 
Second  Lieutenant — Wm.  H.  Jeffries. 
First  Sergeant — James  Whelan. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  409 

Company  I — "McKeesport  Rifle  Grays." 
Captain — John  F.  Ryan. 
First  Lieutenant — George  W.  Gray. 
Second  Lieutenant — J.  F.  McMullen. 
Orderly — John  H.  Cooper. 

Company  K — "Hays  Guards." 

Captain — Charles  W.  Chapman. 
First  Lieutenant — W.  Hays  Brown. 
Second  Lieutenant— Theodore  Bagley. 
First  Sergeant — R.  G.  Mowry. 


INTERMENTS  IN  NATIONAL  CEMETERIES. 


Partial  list  of  interments  of  members  of  the  Sixty-third  Regiment, 
in  National  cemeteries  and  Military  Home  cemeteries: 


Name.  Company. 
Sarver,  Daniel,  C, 

Davis,  David  A.,  K, 

Martin,  George  W.,  G, 


Keenan,  William, 

H, 

McClarey,  A.  P., 

B, 

Stoup,  Corp.  David, 

E, 

McCullough,  G.  W. 

Major, 

Strachan,D.  A.,Ltieut., 

B, 

Blair,  Wm.  Corp., 

F, 

Stone,  John,  Corp., 

C, 

Eaton,  Morgan, 

K, 

Elder,  Sugart  J., 

F, 

Friels,  James, 

H, 

Hull,  Abner  B., 

B, 

Jaco,  John, 

H, 

Mulberger,  Samuel, 

G, 

Orbin,  Joseph, 

F, 

Shall,  Simon, 

G, 

Cameron,  Alexander, 

H, 

Farrell,  Thomas, 

H, 

Frailey,  John  A., 

G, 

Kincaid,  James  M., 

E, 

Adams,  F.  J., 

H, 

Claypool,  Levi, 

B, 

Hallfinger,  John, 

F, 

Marsh,  John, 

D, 

Kelly,  Edward, 

K, 

Eberman,  H.  M., 

K, 

Waddel,  A.  F., 

K, 

Black,  Robert, 

E, 

Mitchell,  H., 

K, 

Beatty,  David  W., 

K, 

No.  Grave 

Leavenworth,  Kan., 
Milwaukee,  Wis., 
Ft.    Harrison,    Varina    Grove, 

Virginia,  105 

Hampton,  Va.,  8679 
Gettysburg,  Pa., 
Gettysburg,  Pa., 

Arlington,  Va.,  5225 

Arlington,  Va.,  5207 

Arlington,  Va.,  769 
Arlington,  Va.,  10407 
Arlington,  Va.,  11999 

Arlington,  Va.,  600 

Arlington,  Va.,  6937 
Arlington,  Va.,  10747 

Arlington,  Va.,  6138 

Arlington,  Va.,  5350 

Arlington,  Va.,  5603 

Arlington,  Va.,  7346 
San  Bardino,  Cal., 

Santa  Monica,  Cal.,  Section  4; 
Row  F. 

Santa  Monica,  Cal.,  4 
Santa    Monica,    Cal.,    Sec.    12; 

Row  H,  21 

Culpepper,  Va.,  99 

Culpepper,  Va.,  351 

Culpepper,  Va.,  350 

Poplar  Grove,  Va.,  678 

Yorktown,  Va.,  352 

Yorktown,  Va.,  228 

Yorktown,  Va.,  1210 

Yorktown,  Va.,  1417 

Yorktown,  Va.,  1133 

Washington,  D.  C.,  3344 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT 


411 


Name.  Company. 

Bliss,  Wm.,  Corp.,  C, 

Brawdy,  William,  D, 

Bunce,  Joseph  S.,  K, 

Eshelman,  Finady,  F, 

Gould,  Wilson,  I, 

Graham,  Frank  L.,  C, 

Gray,  John  C.,  D, 

Hill,  John,  H, 

Holobaugh,  Thomas,  K, 

Keys,  J.  C.  F.,  C, 

McCloskey,  Francis,  F, 
Stegmeyer,  Lewis, 

McLaughlin,  M.  J.,  F, 

Williams,  Monroe,  A, 

Murray,  Robert,  A, 

Blystone,  W.,  G, 

Shiery,  David,  G, 

Buzzard,  J.,  E, 

Connor,  Patrick,  H, 
Gumming,  Reynolds,         K, 

Deal,  F.,  A, 

Doran,  McEwan,  D, 

Haltzhouse,  C.,  A, 

Keenan,  Henry  H.,  E, 

Kunselman,  John,  E, 

Painter,  Samuel,  A, 

Rhyme,  George,  I, 

Smallman,  C.,  B, 


Washington,  D.  C., 
Washington,  D.  C., 
Washington,  D.  C., 
Washington,  D.  C., 
Washington,  D.  C., 
Washington,  D.  C., 
Washington,  D.  C., 
Washington,  D.  C., 
Washington,  D.  C.; 
Washington,  D.  C. 
Washington,  D.  C.; 
Washington,  D.  C. 
Glendale,  Va., 
Glendale,  Va., 
City  Point,  Va. 
City  Point,  Va., 
Annapolis,  Md., 
Annapolis,  Md., 
Annapolis,  Md., 
AnderEonville,  Ga. 
Andersonville,  Ga. 
Andersonville,  Ga. 
Andersonville,  Ga. 
Andersonville,  Ga. 
Andersonville,  Ga. 
Andersonville,  Ga.: 
Andersonville,  Ga., 
Andersonville,  Ga. 


No.  Grave 
1913 
1520 
1729 
4303 
2377 
4331 
4355 
3695 
4262 
5263 
2965 
880 


2918 

985 

17 

276 

1607 

9823 

6017 

1020 

9123 

3678 

268 

3445 

1599 

10720 


PART     III. 


LETTERS   FROM   THE   FRONT — BIOGRAPHIES — THE   TWELFTH 

REGIMENT      REGIMENTAL      REUNIONS — DEDICATION      OF 

GETTYSBURG    MONUMENT,    AND    MONUMENTS    TO 

GENERAL     HAYS  —  EXPLOSIVE     BULLETS. 

—MUSIC,    "BULLY    FOR    YOU,"    AND 

"BULLY  OLD  SIXTY-THIRD." 


414  UND-ER    THE    RED    PATCH 


PLEDGE  TO  THE  DEAD. 

'From  the  lily  of  love  that  uncloses 

In  the  glow  of  a  festival  kiss, 
On  the  wind  that  is  laden  with  roses 

And  shrill  with  the  bugles  of  bliss, 
Let  it  float  o'er  the  mystical  ocean 

That  breaks  on  the  kingdom  of  night — 
Our  oath  of  eternal  devotion 

To  the  heroes  who  died  for  the  right! 

They  loved,  as  we  loved,  yet  they  parted 

From  all  that  man's  spirit  can  prize; 
Left   woman   and   child   broken-hearted, 

Staring  up  to  the  pitiless  skies; 
Left  the  tumult  of  youth,  the  sweet  guerdon 

Hope  promised  to  conquer  from  Fate — 
Gave  all  for  the  agonized  burden 

Of  death  for  the  Flag  and  the  State! 

In  that  grim  and  relentless  upheaval 

Which  blesses  a  world  through  a  curse, 
Still  bringing  the  good  out  of  evil — 

The  garland  of  peace  on  the  hearse!  — 
They  were  shattered,  consumed  and  forsaken, 

Like  the  shadows  that  fly  from  the  dawn; 
We  may  never  know  why  they  were  taken, 

But  we  always  shall  feel  they  are  gone. 

Oh,  grander  in  doom's  stricken  glory 

Than  the  greatest  that  linger  behind; 
They  shall  live  in  perpetual  story, 

Who  saved  the  last  hope  of  mankind! 
For  their  cause  was  the  cause  of  the  races 

That  languished  in  slavery's  night, 
And  the  death  that  was  pale  on  their  faces 

Has  filled  the  whole  world  with  its  light!" 

— Will  Winter. 


LETTERS  FROM  THE  FRONT. 


COLONEL  HAYS  TO  HIS  WIFE  OR  FAMILY. 

Camp  Hays,  September  18,  1861. 
Dear  Wife: 

I  am  safe  and  sound,  and  if  you  had  witnessed  my  reception  you 
would  be  disposed  to  be  jealous.  This  family  of  nine  hundred  chil 
dren  were  frantic,  and  if  ever  a  poor  parent  was  hugged  to  death, 
I  came  near  suffering  that  fate. 

I  am  much  pleased  with  my  regiment,  as  I  ought  to  be,  for  it 
pleases  everybody  else. 

We  are  still  engaged  arming  and  equipping,  which  is  tedious 
work. 


Camp  Hays,  near  Washington, 

September   26,   1861. 

I  received  yours  by  Robinson  this  morning,  and  I  assure  you  it 
gave  me  great  satisfaction,  very  great.  It  afforded  relief  from  the 
incessant  annoyance  of  my  family  of  one  thousand  and  forty-six 
children.  Sometimes  I  think  each  one  of  them  regards  me  as 
appointed  for  his  own  especial  convenience,  and  I  lose  my  constitu 
tional  equanimity  of  temper,  but  the  poor  fellows  take  my  ebullitions 
so  kindly  that  I  feel  sorry  that  I  am  obliged  to  scold. 

I  ought  to  be,  as  I  am,  very  proud  of  my  regiment.  Already  there 
is  not  in  the  service,  a  more  subordinate,  or  better  disciplined  one. 
My  word  appears  to  be  gospel  to  them,  from  the  major  down  to 
the  nigger  cook.  My  intercourse  with  the  various  departments  has 
been  exceedingly  pleasant.  I  find  everywhere  old  friends,  who  wel 
come  me  back  to  my  old  trade.  We — I  mean  the  Sixty-third — are 
spoken  of  now  throughout  Washington  as  "the"  regiment,  and  I  am 
only  afraid  that  too  much  will  be  expected  from  us.  I  must  say 
that  so  far,  my  highest  expectations  have  been  realized.  Though 
sadly  deficient  in  drill,  perfect  order  reigns  everywhere.  It  is  now 
after  "taps,"  10  o'clock,  and  I  have  just  returned  from  an  observa 
tion.  Everything  is  as  quiet  and  orderly  as  if  the  encampment  was 
of  veteran  regulars.  I  rarely  hear  through  the  day  a  profane  or 
improper  word,  and  our  guard  tents  have  been  almost  wanting  of 
occupants.  Our  equipment  is  progressing  rapidly.  The  men  are  well 
fed,  and  a  jollier  crowd  I  never  saw.  This  has  been  the  President's 
fasting  and  prayer  day.  The  only  duty  required  of  the  men  was 
to  brush  up,  and  most  of  them  took  advantage  of  the  permission 
to  do  washing  and  ironing,  at  a  small  stream  which  runs  about  half 
a  mile  from  the  camp. 

The  camp  is  within  view  of  the  Capitol,  and  half  a  mile  distant. 
*  *  *  * 

We  have  already  instituted  a  full-grown  church,  and  Dr.  Marks 
is  also  a  trump.  He  has  procured  a  very  large  tent,  and  services 


416  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

are  regular,  whenever  exemption  from  military  duty  permits  the 
men  to  attend.  Brother  Danks  leads  oft'  in  evening  prayer  meet 
ings. 

The  regiment  is  now  entirely  full,  with  a  fine  band  of  field  music. 
I  would  like  to  have  the  children  hear  the  fourteen  drums  and  ten 
fifes  roll  of  reveille.  I  have  also  nearly  a  full  regimental  band. 

The  country  within  sight  is  dotted  white  with  the  encampments 
of  many  regiments,  and  the  roads  are  thronged  with  teams  loaded 
with  the  material  of  war. 

Occasionally  we  see  the  big  balloon  going  up  on  its  message  of 
reconnoisance,  and  hourly  hear  the  artillery  of  the  forts  beyond  the 
river  practicing  for  the  coming  ball.  The  Sixty-third  will  be  there, 
and  if  Providence  favors,  it  will  tell  a  tale  in  history,  or  I  am 
deceived. 

Our  guns  are  intended  for  close  work,  and  we  will  be  able  to 
furnish  our  enemies  with  a  treat  of  ball  and  buckshot,  with  a  dessert 
of  cold  steel,  for  of  such  are  the  Sixty-third  "Mud  Sills." 


Camp  Shields,  October  3,  1861. 

The  Sixty-third  is  now  encamped  on  the  "Sacred  Soil  of  Vir 
ginia,"  about  four  miles  from  the  Capitol.  The  ancient  name  of  the 
location  I  find  is  Belleview,  but  we  have  rechristened  it  Shields. 
It  is  situated  upon  a  high  ridge  overlooking  the  original  slave  mart 
of  the  Southern  Confederacy  (before  it  was  born.) 

Speaking  of  Shields,  "Leet,"  (his  horse,  a  gift  from  the  Shields 
family  of  Sewickley),  is  acknowledged  to  be  the  finest  horse  in  the 
service.  The  men  of  the  regiment  appear  to  be  more  proud  of  him 
than  I  am. 

Altogether  we  have  the  best  regiment  in  the  service,  and  our 
friends  need  not  fear  of  competition,  although  it  may  be  a  sorry  day 
at  home,  the  day  we  meet  our  enemy.  I  could  not  possibly  ask  more 
than  I  have  realized  from  my  regiment  already,  although  they  are 
far  from  perfect,  but  give  evidence  of  a  will  and  disposition  to  be, 
whatever  I  wish. 

No  regiment  has  a  better  reputation  than  the  Sixty-third,  and, 
so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  the  confidence  between  com 
mander  and  command  is  mutual. 


Camp  Shields,  October  8,   1861. 

Reveille  has  finished,  and  the  coffee  mills  indicate  the  progress  of 
breakfast.  It  rained  heavily  all  night,  and  my  boys,  in  many  cases, 
present  the  appearance  of  wet  rats,  but  the  morning  is  fine.  It  is 
election  day,  and  the  paymaster  is  here,  so  that  the  ills  of  last  night 
are  about  forgotten,  for  cheer  and  song  mingle  with  the  rattle  of 
camp  kettles  and  mess  pans. 

I  informed  you, that  we  were  to  enter  Heintzelman's  Division.  It 
is  not  settled  who  will  be  our  brigadier,  but  since  the  boys  heard 
that  Heintzelman  was  to  command  us,  they  expect  work.  I  heard 
one  man  say  that  he  had  made  his  will  before  he  enlisted  with  Alex. 
Hays  and  was  now  glad  of  it. 


Camp  Johnston,  December  25,  1861. 

Yesterday  morning   (Merry  Xmas.)    I  was  notified  that  the  Sixty- 
third  must  march  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning  to  repel  a  threatened 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  417 

advance  of  the  rebels.  I  was  not  well  when  we  started,  and  it  turned 
out  a  day  of  sad  mishaps.  In  the  first  place  I  was  badly  swamped 
in  one  of  the  mire  pits  of  Virginia,  and  when  we  reached  our  outer 
pickets  in  an  attempt  to  pass  along  the  regiment,  Dan  slipped  and 
fell  from  a  frozen  bank  and  we  got  a  pretty  severe  fall.  Dan  was 
not  hurt,  but  my  right  leg  was  under  him  and  I  was  severely  bruised. 
I  was  well  enough  tonight  to  go  around  among  the  men  and  talk 
cross,  but  their  sympathy  when  we  fell,  has  more  than  repaid  all  my 
sufferings. 


Camp  Johnston,  Va.,  January  19,  1862. 

Recently  on  picquet  I  took  McHenry  and  one  hundred  men  to 
support  my  advance  scouts  of  another  hundred,  under  Captain  Kirk- 
wood.  While  awaiting  and  listening  for  a  signal  from  our  advanced 
friends,  although  we  were  exposed  to  a  most  raw  and  cutting  wind, 
I  never  listened  with  more  pleasure  to  a  professional  songster  than 
I  did  to  the  sweet  notes  of  McHenry,  as  he  hummed  the  words  of 
"Laurena,"  which  in  our  regiment  has  become  a  "household  word." 

I  wrote  you  on  my  return  from  picquet  that  we  were  safe,  except 
ing  Corporal  John  Thomas,  who  was  wounded  slightly  by  accident. 
It  may  be  some  satisfaction  to  his  friends  to  hear  from  me  that 
Corporal  John  Thomas  is  one  of  our  color  guard,  and  that  Corporal 
John  Thomas  is  a  "perfect  trump"  of  a  soldier. 


February  5,  1862. 

Our  troops  are  suffering  from  "hope  deferred,"  and  an  advance 
will  be  hailed  with  joy.  For  my  regiment  I  can  speak  with  con 
fidence;  I  believe  I  can  rely  on  them  in  every  emergency.  I  have 
tried  them  in  march  and  on  bivouac,  and  given  them  the  smell  of 
"battle  afar  off,"  which  they  snuffed  as  eagerly  as  Job's  war  horse. 
Our  Austrian  rifles  have  been  tested,  and  throw  a  ball  with  terrible 
force  to  long  distances,  but  the  men  have  been  taught  and  will  rely 
mainly  upon  the  four-ribbed  bayonets,  which  are  a  splendid  appli 
ance  for  drilling  holes  into  rebel  carcasses. 

We  have  severe  frosts  at  night,  and  the  ground  is  covered  with 
snow  to  the  depth  of  several  inches.  Today  the  sun  is  shining 
brightly  and  may  give  us  mud  in  exchange  for  our  snow.  I  hear  no 
complaints  among  the  men  of  suffering  or  want.  All  are  in  good 
health  and  comfortably  housed.  If  we  have  a  want  it  is  for  woolen 
mittens  with  no  fingers. 

February    27,    1862. 

Last  night  an  order  was  received  "To  hold  the  troops  ready  to 
march  at  a  moment's  warning,  with  two  day's  provisions  (cooked) 
in  the  haversacks  of  the  men."  The  announcement  of  the  order  was 
received  by  the  Sixty-third  with  cheer  after  cheer,  a  prospect  of 
change  from  the  dull  monotonous  life  they  have  led  in  camp  since 
last  September. 

The  troops  march  with  the  smallest  possible  amount  of  baggage, 
only  four  wagons  being  allowed  to  my  regiment,  which  now  numbers 
one  thousand  and  twenty-four. 


Camp  Johnston,  March  10,  1862. 

I  know  you  have  been  anxiously  expecting  to  hear  from  me  since 
the  disaster    (death  of  Captain  Chapman  and  Quartermaster  Lysle) 


418  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

which  befel  my  regiment.  I  might  have  essayed  flying  with  as 
much  success  as  to  attempt  to  write,  in  the  situation  in  which  I 
have  been  placed  for  the  last  five  days.  You  have  heard  of  a  tiger 
robbed  of  its  whelps,  and  you  can  imagine  what  species  of  tiger  I 
represent.  I  have  not  scolded  anyone — the  fault  is  too  egregious 
to  be  within  my  jurisdiction,  and  I  am  patiently  awaiting  the  action 
of  higher  authority. 

*  *  *  * 

Thirty  or  forty  rebels  are  permitted  to  pass  our  men  in  ambush, 
to  conceal  themselves  in  ambush  against  us,  and  three  of  us  forfeit 
life.  I  can  hear  the  expressed  wish  that  "the  old  man"  had  been 
there,  but  there  is  no  evil  from  which  some  good  cannot  be  extracted. 
The  regiment  is  determined  upon  vengeance,  and  confidence  is 
stronger  than  ever  that  the  colonel  will  be  on  hand  next  time. 

The  bodies  were  forwarded  on  the  7th  to  Pittsburgh.  Before 
leaving,  all  were  borne  to  the  church  tent,  and  I  never  knew  the 
Doctor  (Marks)  more  eloquent.  "There  was  no  dearth  of  woman's 
tears,"  for  dear  little  Mrs.  Jameson  was  present,  and  cried  her  eyes 
out. 

Last  evening  at  parade,  promotions  were  made  to  fill  vacancies. 
First  Lieutenant  McClellan,  of  Company  E,  to  be  captain  of  Com 
pany  K,  "for  bravery  and  self-possession  on  the  morning  of  March 
5th,  when  a  detachment  of  the  Sixty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers 
was  waylaid  by  the  rebels,"  vice-Captain  Chapman  killed  in  action. 

Second  Lieutenant  Bagley,  "for  uniform  good  conduct  as  an  officer 
and  a  soldier,"  to  be  first  lieutenant  of  Company  K.  First  Sergeant 
Mowry,  "for  his  bravery  and  self-possession  on  the  morning  of 
March  5th,  when  a  detachment  of  the  Sixty-third  was  waylaid  by 
the  rebels,"  to  be  second  lieutenant  Company  K. 

I  have  several  other  promotions  to  make,  but  I  thought  the  above 
was  sufficient  for  one  occasion.  I  think  Sergeant  Gross  will  be  made 
a  lieutenant.  Second  Lieutenant  Haymaker  to  be  quartermaster,  vice 
Lysle,  killed  in  action. 


March  16,   1862. 

Again   has  notice   come   that  the   Sixty-third   will   be   required   to 
march  tomorrow  morning  with  six  day's  provisions  to  —  — ; 

nobody  knows  where.  This  evening  at  parade,  as  I  looked  along 
the  line  of  my  boys,  I  felt  very  proud,  as  I  have  never  seen  them 
look  so  well.  This  was  our  inspection  day,  and  I  found  the  guns 
in  most  excellent  condition,  although  I  was  obliged  to  preach  a  good 
deal  on  the  subject  of  packing  k'napsacks. 


March    18,    1862. 

Yesterday  the  Sixty-third  embarked  on  board  the  "North  America" 
and  "Champion"  for  some  unknown  destination.  Colonel  Morgan 
commands  the  "Champion."  This  morning  I  paid  him  a  visit  and 
found  the  boat  so  much  overloaded  that  I  ordered  her  back  to  the 
dock.  I  have  never  seen  the  Sitxy-third  in  such  good  condition. 
Their  march  through  Alexandria  has  been  characterized  and  com 
mented  upon  as  a  regiment  which  was  either  Regulars  or  else  the 
best  volunteer  regiment  that  had  passed  through  the  town. 


Union  Camp,  Yorktown,  April   6,   1862. 

We  arrived  here  yesterday  and  are  now  encamped  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  from  Yorktown,  and  within  a  mile  of  the  advanced  bat- 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  419 

teries  of  the  enemy.  Yesterday  one  of  our  field  batteries  played  ball 
with  one  of  their's  nearly  all  day,  without  any  particularly  marked 
results.  Our  position  is  concealed  by  a  dense  woods  which  pro 
tects  us  from  the  enemy's  fire.  Today  1  witnessed  one  of  their 
attempts.  Our  men  are  filled  with  curiosity  which  is  very  difficult 
to  restrain.  A  group  had  gathered  upon  an  eminence  in  full  view 
of  the  enemy  who,  waiting  until  at  least  fifty  were  gathered 
together,  let  fly  a  rifle  shell  which  passed  directly  through  the 
crowd,  killing  one  and  wounding  another.  About  noon  we  heard 
upon  our  left,  heavy  musketry,  which  probably  came  from  General 
Sykes'  Regulars,  who  had  turned  the  seat  of  one  of  the  enemy's 
field  works.  The  skirmish  was  distinctly  visible  from  our  picket 
lines,  and  the  enemy's  consternation  was  very  considerable.  Our 
balloon  has  been  floating  in  the  sky  all  day.  Numbers  of  gun  boats 
are  in  the  river,  and  within  a  few  days  Yorktown  will  be  completely 
invested.  Our  heavy  guns  are  arriving  and  the  music  in  the  grand 
dance  may  be  opened  in  the  morning.  It  is  surprising  how  many 
works  the  enemy  had  erected  between  this  point  and  the  fortress, 
and  then  after  all  their  labor,  to  retire  and  give  us  undisputed  pos 
session. 

Dismal  discord  just  now  reigns  in  camp,  and  is  spreading  over  the 
plains  for  miles  around.  A  young  mule  has  awakened  from  his  even 
ing  nap  and  expressed  his  disgust  for  the  service  by  an  unearthly 
bray,  which  is  taken  up  and  re-echoed  by  five  thousand  of  his  fellow 
beings,  until  one  believes  that  all  the  asses  in  Christendom  are  here. 


Camp  Winfield  Scott,  near  Yorktown,  Va,. 

April  23,  1862. 
*  *  *  * 

Say  that  Captain  McHenry  will  prove  that  he  is  the  author  of  "All 
Quiet  Along  the  Potomac  Tonight."  "Our  own  special  artist"  is 
now  engaged  in  the  illustration,  which  will  soon  be  issued,  under 
McHenry's  name.  See  note  on  page  57. 


May  11,  1862. 

Knapsacks  are  slung,  and  we  only  await  the  order  of  "On  to 
Richmond."  The  account  of  the  battle  near  Williamsburg  has  been 
published  and  you  know  more  of  that  affair  than  I  do,  for  I  know 
nothing  except  that  the  loss  on  both  sides  was  fearful.  The  Sixty- 
third  was  not  engaged,  but  it  is  admitted  that  a  demonstration  made 
by  ours  and  two  Maine  regiments,  and  the  Sixth  Cavalry,  upon  the 
left  wing  of  the  enemy,  decided  the  day,  although  we  did  not  lose  a 
man. 

I  am  backed  by  a  thousand  men  who  will  not  fail  me  in  the  hour 
of  need.  The  colonel  and  regiments  have  the  entire  confidence  of 
our  generals,  and  stand  A-l  in  Kearney's  estimation. 

The  bugles  are  sounding  the  advance,  and  "Leet"  and  I  must 
break  for  the  head  of  the  column,  both  in  good  spirits,  and  one  very 
hopeful. 


Near  Battlefield  of  Fair  Oaks, 

June  9,  1862. 

I  cannot  write  to  you  the  details  of  the  fight  or  the  incidents  of 
the  past  seven  days.  The  Sixty-third  lost  150  killed  and  wounded, 
and  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  about  equal  numbers.  The  two 


420  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

regiments  are  "Heroes  of  the  'day."  Considering  the  numbers  of 
each  regiment  that  could  be  brought  into  action,  the  loss  was  terrible 
— about  one  in  five.  Supporting  the  troops  of  Casey's  division,  ours 
met  the  enemy  flushed  with  success,  but  from  the  moment  we  met 
them  the  tide  of  battle  turned,  and  we  drove  them  like  sheep. 
Western  Pennsylvania  has  no  competitors  for'  the  honors  of  "Fair 
•Oaks,"  and  the  flags  of  others  are  lowered  to  ours  as  we  pass.  I  feel 
thankful  to  a  kind  Providence  for  the  preservation  of  my  life  thus 
far,  and  with  a  firm  reliance  still,  I  walk  forward.  I  feel  deeply  for 
those  who  have  been  made  to  mourn,  but  proud  that  in  no  case  has 
anyone  to  blush  for  their  friends  who  belonged  to  the  Sixty-third. 


Still  in  Fair  Oaks  Battlefield, 

June  14,  1862. 

You  find  the  Sixty-third  still  upon  our  last  battlefield.  We  won  it 
fairly  and  it  is  ours,  although  it  cost  us  dearly,  and  has  left  "many 
a  sweet  babe  fatherless,  and  many  a  widow  mourning."  As  your 
father  appears  concerned  about  the  horses,  I  will  repeat  that  "Dan" 
is  seriously  wounded,  but  will  recover,  although  General  Kearney 
gave  an  order  for  him  to  be  shot. 


June   26,   1862. 

Day  before  yesterday  I  received  order  to  hold  "The  iron-clad  Sixty- 
third"  ready  to  take  the  lead  in  an  advance  towards  Richmond. 
At  8:30  we  were  deployed  as  skirmishers  in  the  pine  woods  in  front 
of  our  line  of  defense,  supported  by  the  Twentieth  Indiana  in  the 
rear.  Children  never  felt  more  glee  at  a  dancing  school  than  my 
gallant  three  hundred  exhibited  when  they  knew  their  mission.  They 
appreciated  the  post  of  honor,  and  we  always  obtained  it.  Steady 
as  veterans  they  moved  forward,  and  when  we  had  passed  our  own 
pickets  about  one  hundred  yards,  we  came  across  those  of  the  enemy. 
Steadily  and  regularly  we  drove  them  before  us  for  a  mile  and  a 
quarter,  until  we  were  opposed  by  the  Fourth  Georgians.  The 
Georgians  were  dressed  in  a  fancy  French  zouave  uniform,  which 
caused  our  men  to  hesitate.  It  was  reported  to  me,  and  I  was  asked, 
"What  will  we  do?"  I  told  them,  "Give  it  to  them  anyhow;  they 
have  no  business  to  be  there."  Then  our  boys  pitched  in  again,  and 
in  fifteen  minutes  the  Georgians  were  on  the  road  to  Richmond.  The 
rout  was  complete.  The  quality,  elegance  and  taste  of  all  their 
equipments  bore  evidence  that  they  were  all  scions  of  the  first 
families  among  the  Georgia  chivalry.  By  an  infernal  blundering 
order  from  a  stupid  brigadier,  we  were  still  ordered  forward  until 
we  passed  all  troops  of  ours,  at  least  half  a  mile.  We  were  at  least 
half  a  mile  nearer  Richmond  than  any  other  regiment  of  our  divis 
ion,  and  so  near  large  bodies  of  the  rebels  that  we  could  distinctly 
hear  every  command  of  their  officers.  After  an  hour  we  were  drawn 
back  to  the  camp  of  the  Georgians,  which  we  held  during  the  day 
and  next  night.  On  our  right  and  left  the  battle  raged  furiously 
at  intervals  during  the  day.  Sometimes  the  small  arms  battled 
incessantly  for  an  hour  at  a  time,  while"  shells  from  our  batteries 
flew  over  our  heads  bearing  death  and  destruction  to  the  enemy 
beyond.  Their  batteries  in  return,  replied  and  shot  and  shell  flew 
and  burst  around  us  in  all  directions.  Taking  the  whole  day 
through,  we  have  reason  to  congratulate  ourselves  and  thank  a  kind 
Providence.  Our  success  was  perfect,  and  drew  from  General  Kearney 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  421 

the  highest  compliments  before  the  regiment  on  the  battle  ground. 
Our  small  loss  appears  miraculous.  Five  killed  and  seventeen 
wounded. 


In  Bivouac,  July  4,  1862. 

I  have  concluded  to  terminate  my  celebration  of  "The  Glorious 
Fourth"  by  writing  through  you  to  all  my  friends.  What  has  pre 
served  my  life  and  limbs  throughout  the  events  and  transactions 
of  the  last  month  I  know  not,  excepting  your  combined  prayers  at 
home. 

The  glorious  Sixty-third  has  a  reputation  unequalled  by  any  regi 
ment  in  the  service;  the  best  evidence  of  it  is  the  acknowledgment 
of  it  all,  without  a  show  of  envy,  but  never  has  it  been  better  illus 
trated  that  "The  paths  of  Glory  lead  but  to  the  grave." 

Imagine  a  quiet  country  house  which  a  few  hours  before  had  been 
a  peaceful  home  for  happy  children,  made  a  "bone  of  contention" 
by  two  parties  of  infuriated  men.  The  last  I  saw  of  that  house,  and 
round  about  it,  in  its  outhouses,  and  in  the  green-swarded  enclosure 
around  it,  it  was  piled  with  dead,  dying  and  wounded,  "A  field  of 
the  dead  rushes  red  on  my  sight." 

For  seven  days  it  has  been  one  continued  battle,  awfully  severe 
to  us,  but  doubly  so  to  the  enemy.  The  Sixty-third  has  covered  itself 
with  glory,  but  most  dearly  bought.  We  have  lost  in  killed  and 
wounded,  every  third  man.  For  two  days  in  succession  we  have 
supported  regular  batteries  of  artillery,  and  we  are  on  the  tongues 
of  all  men,  "There  goes  the  Fighting  Sixty-third."  The  artillery 
has  great  faith  in  the  Sixty-third. 

I  am  writing  this  upon  a  cracker  box,  by  candle  light.  My  men 
are  round  and  about  me;  everyone  is  sound  asleep.  For  the  last  two 
days  we  have  rested  and  fed,  and  we  need  it  much,  as  little  of  "bed 
or  board"  had  been  known  to  anyone  for  a  week  before.  There  they 
lie,  yet  one  single  syllable  from  me,  "Up!"  the  Sixty-third  will  in 
a  moment  start,  everyone  to  his  feet,  and  in  less  time  than  I  write, 
the  Sixty-third  would  be  ready  for  action.  God  bless  them,  they 
are  a  gallant  set  of  boys,  and  it  pains  me  to  scold  them,  as  I  did 
this  evening  for  eating  too  much,  and  being  selfish. 


Camp  Whitesell,  2:30  a.  m.,  July  7,  1862. 

Our  division  (Kearney's)  had  retired  from  before  Richmond,  and 
upon  the  30th  day  of  June  lay  taking  rest  at  Nelson's  Farm.  Early 
in  the  day  I  received  an  order  to  support  Thompson's  Battery  of 
Artillery.  Our  section  (two  pieces)  was  advanced  beyond  the  gen 
eral  lines,  and  the  Sixty-third  silently  took  position  near,  in  a  small 
belt  of  young  pines,  to  await  coming  events.  Occasional  shots  were 
fired  from  the  guns  into  the  distant  woods  as  often  as  some  ventur 
ous  scout  of  the  enemy  would  appear  upon  the  outskirts.  About  2 
p.  m.  the  report  of  a  rifled  gun  and  the  rushing  of  a  round  shot 
directed  at  our  artillery,  announced  that  Jeff  Davis,  with  a  large 
company  of  friends,  had  arrived  from  Richmond,  and  were  inquiring 
about  our  whereabouts.  The  advanced  section  was  withdrawn,  and 
the  Sixty-third  flanked  off  and  took  a  position  in  the  rear  of  the  now 
combined  battery.  Soon  the  roar  and  rattle  on  all  sides  announced 
one  of  the  fiercest  conflicts  that  ever  raged  between  contending 
parties  of  men.  Thompson  opened  upon  the  enemy  at  a  distance 
and  played  away  for  an  hour,  while  the  Sixty-third  lay  upon  its 
arms,  inactive  spectators  of  the  fight,  although  fully  warned  of  their 


422  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

interest  in  the  game  going  on,  by  the  bursting  around,  over  and 
among  them,  of  every  infernal  missile  invented  by  man. 

Through  the  smoke,  which  was  now  rolling  in  cloudy  wreaths 
from  our  guns,  a  mounted  officer  approached  the  Sixty-third,  with  a 
waving  sword  and  call  to  "Forward!"  Believing  that  the  time  had 
come,  I  called  the  Sixty-third  "Up  and  at  them!"  No  order  was  ever 
better  or  more  promptly  obeyed  by  veterans.  The  low  fence  was 
cleared  at  a  bound,  and  with  caution,  "Guide  center,  double-quick!" 
in  less  time  than  I  write  it,  the  bayonets  of  the  Sixty-third  were 
leveled  in  front  of  the  guns.  The  smoke  cleared  away  and  I  dis 
covered  a  false  alarm,  and  again  retired  to  the  fence.  In  half  an 
hour  afterward,  however,  Thompson  announced  danger  to  his  guns, 
and  at  once  the  regiment  sprang  forward,  passed  the  guns,  lay  down 
upon  the  ground  fifty  feet  in  front,  and  opened  a  perfect  storm  of 
rifles.  The  battery  still  played  away  overhead,  and  the  enemy, 
secreted  in  the  woods  a  hundred  yards  in  advance  and  in  and  around 
a  dwelling  and  outhouses  half  that  distance,  in  advance.  There 
we  held  them  for  more  than  an  hour,  until  Thompson  announced 
that  his  ammunition  was  exhausted  and  he  must  withdraw  his  bat 
tery.  Again  it  was,  "Up,  Sixty-third,  give  them  cold  steel,  charge 
bayonets,  forward,  double-quick!"  In  a  flash,  yelling  like  incarnate 
fiends,  we  were  upon  them,  muzzle  to  muzzle.  It  was  fiercely  con 
tested,  through  the  palings  and  around  Nelson's  Farm.  Such  an 
onset  could  not  last  long,  and  towards  dark  we  returned,  having 
silenced  the  l,ast  shot. 

From  McClellan  to  the  drummer  boy,  it  is  admitted  to  be  the 
most  brilliant  thing  in  the  war.  Kearney  is  somewhat  hyperbolical 
in  his  expressions,  but  says  it  was  magnificent,  glorious,  and  the  only 
thing  he  ever  saw  that  was  like  the  pictures  in  the  newspapers.  He 
declares  it  was  all  there;  the  hopeless  artillery,  the  man  on  horse 
back,  and  the  fierce  looking  devils  bearing  forward  on  their  bayonets, 
as  though  they  were  endeavoring  to  break  the  stock  of  each  gun. 
General  Berry  yesterday  said  in  my  hearing,  that  others  might  boast 
but  that  theirs  was  no  similar  case,  when  a  regiment  had  made  such 
a  charge  and  for  so  long  a  time  kept  up  such  an  unremitting  murder 
ous  fire  upon  an  enemy. 


Brown's  Hotel,  Washington,  D.  C., 

September  2,  1862. 

After  leaving  home  and  as  much  search  as  Japhet  had  after  a 
father,  I  found  the  Sixty-third  Regiment  on  the  25th  of  August,  at 
Warrenton  Junction  of  the  Orange  and  Alexandria  Railroad,  in  the 
rear  of  the  army  of  Virginia,  there  cannonading  with  the  enemy 
on  the  Rappahannock,  a  few  miles  in  advance. 

I  found  the  regiment  much  in  need  of  my  "moral  suasion," 
although  in  other  respects,  in  excellent  health  and  spirits.  They  had 
just  returned  from  a  long  and  fatiguing  reconnoisance.  The  vocifer 
ous  cheers,  as  regiment  after  regiment  marched  past  me,  was  evi 
dence  that  my  return  was  welcome. 

The  exemplary  specimens  of  refractory  subjects  put  through 
"rough  shod,"  brought  the  Sixty-third  all  right  again.  "The  ass 
knoweth  his  owner,  the  ox  his  master's  crib." 

The  next  evening  I  rode  forward  about  five  miles  to  see  General 
Kearney.  I  found  him  in  one  of  his  crabbedest  moods,  much  exer 
cised  His  servants  had  deserted,  and  all  his  valuable  baggage  left 
back  at  Alexandria.  His  reception  of  me  was,  however,  extremely 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  423 

cordial,  with  an  invitation  to  take  supper,  which  I  found  consisted 
of  coffee  made  and  served  in  a  blackened  tin  cup,  with  hard  bread 
to  match,  while  his  only  servitor  was,  as  the  general  expressed  it, 
"a  d —  —  miscellaneous,  migratory  contraband,  who  had  fallen  in  the 
way,  but  in  whom  he  had  no  confidence." 

I  returned  late  to  camp,  trusting  to  noble  "Dan"  (his  horse)  to 
find  the  way.  Early  next  morning  we  received  orders  to  hold  the 
Sixty-third  Regiment  ready  to  march.  The  enemy  had  pierced  our 
lines  and  were  actually  depredating  our  rear. 

With  light  hearts  and  light  feet,  we  tripped  back  to  within  four 
miles  of  Manassas  Junction,  synonymous  with  "Bull  Run,"  memor 
able  for  our  eternal  disgrace  without  cause  except  total  incapacity 
and  ignorance  of  high  officials,  if  not  a  taint  of  treason. 

Here  we  were  opposed  by  the  enemy  with  artillery,  and  under 
went  some  shelling  by  which  the  Sixty-third  lost  three  men,  one 
mortally  and  two  severely  wounded. 

Approaching  to  the  front  in  support  of  a  battery,  a  rocket  or 
some  other  infernal  missile  'burst  just  in  front  of  my  horse,  Dan's 
breast.  For  an  instant  I  thought  he  was  gone,  but  he  bounded 
across  it  like  a  deer,  and  the  fragments  went  whirling  to  the  rear, 
entering  the  horse  of  our  new  surgeon  across  the  crupper,  inflicting 
a  bad  wound.  Some  wicked  fighting  was  done  upon  our  right  and 
the  enemy  was  repulsed. 

We  rested  upon  the  field,  but  not  until  my  regiment  had  occupied 
four  different  positions  as  outposts,  but  we  were  rewarded  at  last 
about  11  o'clock  by  a  good  position,  and  unmolested,  "slept  the  sleep 
of  innocence  and  peace,"  known  only  to  the  profession. 

Next  morning,  bright  and  early,  the  "field  and  staff"  breakfasted 
on  good  strong  coffee,  soft  bread,  and  spring  chickens,  and  again  took 
up  the  onward  march. 

After  a  march  of  four  miles  we  reached  Manassas  Junction  and 
viewed  the  destruction  made  by  the  enemy  on  the  preceding  day  and 
night.  More  than  a  mile  in  length,  along  the  railroad  the  ground  was 
strewn  with  ruins  of  locomotives,  cars  and  army  stores — such  devas 
tation  I  never  witnessed.  Onward  we  moved  toward  Centerville, 
feeling  for  the  enemy  at  all  points.  Late  at  night  we  encamped 
among  the  old  entrenchments  of  the  rebels,  and  early  next  morning 
(29th)  moved  rapidly  after  them.  In  an  hour's  march  we  found 
the  enemy  awaiting  us,  and  then  began  the  stirring  events  which 
have  thrilled  the  hearts  of  the  whole  North. 

I  cannot  detail  all  of  what  I  saw  and  part  of  what  I  was.  About 
4  o'clock  p.  m.,  after  taking  part  in  the  earlier  day's  doings,  I  was 
requested  by  General  Kearney  to  give  the  enemy  a  taste  of  the 
Sixty-third,  several  of  our  regiments  having  been  repulsed.  I  gave 
the  order  to  forward  with  trailed  arms,  and  the  boys  answered  with 
a  deafening  cheer!  We  drove  them  before  us  like  sheep  until  they 
took  shelter  behind  the  railroad.  We  received  here  the  most  terrible 
fire  I  have  ever  experienced,  to  which  the  Sixty-third  replied  as 
hotly  for  some  time.  We  were  unsupported,  but  my  regiment  never 
wavered. 

I  have  telegraphed  you  of  my  situation.  A  large  ball  struck  the 
main  bone  between  the  ankle  and  knee,  not  breaking,  but  perhaps 
splintering  it,  glancing  off  and  breaking  the  smaller  bones.  The 
entrance  hole  is  as  large  as  a  half  dollar.  I  assure  you  I  have  a  sore 
shin,  but  the  quarter  of  an  inch  variation  would  have  cost  me  my 
leg. 


424  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

Sitting  in  my  little  room  on  the  fourth  story,  taking  my  tea  and 
toast,  the  little  tea  pot  and  single  cup  recalled  my  old  favorite,  "The 
Pensioner" — 

"In  his  narrow  cell  at  Chelsea, 
Sits  a  pensioner,  old  and  gray." 

And  I  wondered  if  my  own  lot  might  not  be  the  same,  but  as  I 
write  and  turn  to  look  across  the  Potomac  to  the  blue  hills  where 
tonight  or  tomorrow  may  be  fought  the  bloodiest  battle  on  record, 
and  be  the  triumph  or  disgrace  of  the  North  forevermore,  I  regret 
that  I  will  not  be  among  my  old  companions  to  cheer  them  on,  and 
again  take  my  chances  with  them.  If  it  had  been  permitted,  I  would 
have  preferred  to  defer  my  present  disability. 

I  have  the  loss  as  nearly  as  possible  by  telegraph,  of  the  killed  and 
wounded  of  the  Sixty-third — one  hundred  and  fifty — it  is  terrible. 

My  wound  is  painful  and  I  must  lie  down  to  rest,  besides  if  I 
write  more  this  will  not  go  by  mail. 

Major  Kirkwood  was  twice  wounded — not  dangerously,  I  hope. 
Both  my  horses  were  shot. 


Colonel  Hays  was  promoted  to  Brigadier  General,   September  29,   18G2,   and 
assigned  to  the   command   of  the   Third   Division,    Second  Army   Corps. 


Centerville,  Va.,  May  18,  1863. 

The  glorious  old  Sixty-third  has  again  met  the  enemy,  and  as  usual 
suffered  terribly.  We  hear  nothing  except  from  the  newspapers,  but 
we  surmise  that  the  list  of  our  friends  is  abbreviated.  If  I  am  not 
permitted  to  live  to  write  the  history  of  the  Sixty-third,  it  will  be 
my  last  request  of  some  friend  competent  to  do  the  case  justice,  to 
write  its  history,  and  settle  the  question  so  long  unanswered,  "Can 
Volunteers  Fight?" 

On  Battlefield,  near  Gettysburg,  Pa., 

July   4,    1863. 

Yesterday  was  a  warm  one  for  us.  The  fight  of  my  division  was 
a  perfect  success.  Corts,  Shields  and  myself  are  untouched.  Dan 
(his  horse)  was  killed,  and  Leet  severely  wounded.  Corts  and 
Shields  each  lost  a  horse.  We  are  all  sanguine  of  ridding  our  soil 
of  the  invaders. 

Taneytown,   Md.,  July   7,   1863. 

I  have  written  several  times  since  the  eventful  3rd,  to  assure  you 
that  all  was  well  with  us — I  mean  Corts,  Shields  and  myself.  Our 
fight  with  the  rebels  on  the  3rd  was  the  most  terrific.  I  commanded 
the  Third  Division  of  the  Second  Army  Corps.  Opposing  me  were 
A.  P.  Hill,  and  George  E.  Pickett,  besides  several  others  of  my  old 
acquaintances. 

They  thought  they  were  attacking  raw  militia.  After  cannonad 
ing  us  for  an  hour  they  advanced  across  the  plain,  and  were  met 
from  behind  our  stone  wall  by  a  volley  which  swept  them  like  a 
tornado.  It  will  not  be  credited,  but  we,  (I  mean  the  Third  Divis 
ion),  took  double  our  own  number  of  prisoners,  killed  twice  our 
own  number  and  took  nearly  three  thousand  stand  of  arms.  It  is 
called  the  decisive  battle  of  Gettysburg. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  425 

I  am  untouched,  as  are  also  Corts  and  Shields,  which  is  miraculous, 
although  we  lost  our  horses.  Dave  Shields  had  the  shoulder  of  his 
coat  blown  off  by  a  shell.  Dan  was  killed  by  a  cannon  ball  through 
the  heart,  just  after  I  had  exchanged  him  for  Leet.  Leet  is  shot 
severely  in  the  breast — three  balls — one  has  been  extracted  and  will 
be  sent  to  Leet  Shields.  Out  of  twenty  mounted  orderlies  I  have  but 
five  or  six  left.  Of  our  acquaintances  I  have  lost  all  my  colonels. 
Lieutenant  colonels  command  brigades,  and  lieutenants  command 
regiments. 

The  battle  cannot  be  described  except  as  the  most  terrible  fought 
between  men. 

My  division  has  taken  twenty  banners  or  battle  flags — more  than 
all  the  balance  of  the  army,  and  the  Third  division  is  at  a  high 
premium. 

We  may  meet  the  enemy  again,  but  they  are  totally  disorganized. 


Near  "Jones  Cross  Roads,"  Va., 

July  13,  1863. 

"The  Cross  Roads"  are  six  miles,  and  equidistant  from  Hagers- 
town,  Williamsport  and  Boonsborough. 

My  division  is  formed  along  the  heights  near  the  Hagerstown  road. 
It  forms  one  of  the  links  of  the  anaconda,  which  holds  Lee's  army 
in  its  coils. 

When  I  took  command  of  it  only  two  weeks  ago  it  was  considered 
large,  since  then,  however,  it  has  become  more  respectable,  although 
its  numbers  have  diminished.  In  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg  I  lost  one 
thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-two  men.  We,  however,  can  count 
five  of  the  enemy  to  one  of  ours.  The  killed  of  the  enemy  alone, 
outnumber  my  whole  division  two  to  one.  The  arms  we  captured 
will  give  us  three  guns  to  each  man.  Our  prisoners  also  outnumbered 
us  two  to  one.  I  have  sent  forward  to  headquarters  seventeen  (17) 
of  the  enemy's  standards,  and  know  of  at  least  five  others  which 
were  surreptitiously  disposed  of.  Such  a  capture  of  flags  were  never 
known  before. 

Until  after  the  battle  there  was  but  one  Hays  in  command,  so  there 
be  no  doubt  of  his  identity.  I  claim  all  due  to  the  name,  and  can 
prove  it  by  evidence  of  an  army  corps. 

The  Second  Corps  justly  claim  the  honor  of  the  repulse  of  the 
enemy,  and  it  is  conceded  that  the  Third  division,  (Hays),  Second 
Army  Corps,  fought  the  decisive  action.  Killed,  wounded,  prisoners 
and  banners  speak  convincingly  of  our  claims.  I  have  written  of 
the  loss  of  my  horses.  Noble  old  Dan  died  a  soldier's  death.  A 
solid  shot  passed  through  his  heart,  just  after  I  had  dismounted 
from  him,  and  he  died  without  a  struggle.  He  lies  in  an  honored 
grave  dug  by  Henry  and  the  other  servants.  Leet  was  soon  after 
wards  shot  in  the  breast  with  three  balls,  and  is  totally  disabled. 
He  is  now  in  hospital  in  Gettysburg,  under  care  of  Dr.  Weaver. 
My  third  horse  was  one  of  "Uncle  Sam's,"  and  of  little  account. 
Corts'  horse,  as  well  as  Shields',  were  killed.  I  had  about  fifteen 
mounted  orderlies  when  the  battle  began.  At  the  end  only  two. 
One  of  them  lost  his  horse,  and  the  other,  my  standard  bearer,  had 
his  flag  staff  cut  in  two.  The  shoulder  of  Shields'  coat  was  blown 
away.  Corts  had  his  knuckles  skinned.  I  escaped  totally  unscathed, 
although  all  expected  momentarily  to  see  me  go  under.  Once  in  the 
furor  my  pickets,  (The  Garibaldi  Guards),  who  were  posted  near  a 


426  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

barn  half  a  mile  from  my  front,  were  repulsed  by  the  rebel  sharp 
shooters,  and  retreated  in  disorder. 

Dan  was  then  living,  and  on  him  I  dashed  over  the  plain,  fol 
lowed  by  my  standard  bearer  (who  is  a  reckless,  devil-may-care 
Irishman).  We  rallied  the  runaways,  put  them  in  position  again, 
retaking  the  barn.  This  was  in  full  view  of  both  lines,  and  fair 
range  of  the  enemy's  batteries.  Our  men  held  their  breaths  in  sus 
pense,  and  I  have  since  been  told  by  several  generals  that  they 
expected  to  see  me  blown  up  each  moment.  The  enemy  appeared  to 
have  been  surprised,  for  not  a  gun  of  theirs  opened,  until  my  mis 
sion  was  fulfilled,  and  then  I  had  nearly  reached  our  lines,  when 
the  rebel  batteries  opened  upon  me  and  stormed  shot  and  shell 
around.  Just  as  I  entered  our  lines  Colonel  Dick  Coulter  came  to 
congratulate  me,  when  a  shell  struck  a  tree  between  us,  glanced 
off,  and  killed  several  of  our  men  who  had  been  drawn  from  behind 
the  defenses  from  curiosity. 

My  defenses  were  stone  walls,  and  since  Jackson  is  dead,  I  think 
I  have  a  just  claim  to  his  title.  Already  there  is  shown  a  disposi 
tion  to  rob  me  of  my  rights,  but  it  can't  be  done.  You  have  heard 
that  all  the  colonels  of  my  old  brigade  were  lost — two  killed,  and 
two  severely  wounded.  "Harper's  Ferry  boys"  have  wiped  out 
Harper's  Perry. 

We  are  watching  intently  for  our  prey,  though  the  haul  will  not 
be  of  "sucking  doves."  Sykes  is  on  my  right,  and  Webb's  Division 
on  my  left.  Last  night  I  had  two  points  fortified  which  will  give  us 
a  cross-fire  on  any  advance.  We  are  very  sanguine,  but  cautious. 
Yesterday  it  rained  torrents,  and  today  gives  promise  of  more,  which 
will  keep  up  the  Potomac. 

You  will  understand  that  this  is  to  be  a  strictly  private  letter, 
not  to  be  bounded  literally.  Tell  Shields'  and  Corts'  friends  that 
none  stand  higher  in  the  army. 

Warrenton  Junction,  Va., 

July  27,   1863. 

You  have  heard  so  much  of  Gettysburg,  that,  as  myself,  you  desire 
to  hear  no  more.  I  was  sorely  pressed  for  aides,  although  the  two 
I  had  (Corts  and  Shields)  bore  themselves  most  gallantly,  perform 
ing  the  work  of  ten.  Only  that  Providence  protected  us  I  cannot 
account  for  our  escape.  Women  may  lecture  en  the  "Horrors  of 
War,"  but  such  a  scene  of  carnage  I  never  imagined.  Carnage  him 
self,  (if  an  artist),  could  not  paint  the  picture.  Dead  horses,  shat 
tered  carriages,  dead  and  dying  men,  in  all  the  last  agonies  of  death, 
for  two  full  hours,  would  have  paralyzed  anyone  not  trained  to  the 
"butcher  trade."  I  was  fighting  for  my  native  State,  and  before  I 
went  in,  thought  of  those  at  home  I  so  dearly  loved.  If  Gettysburg 
was  lost  all  was  lost  for  them,  and  I  only  interposed  a  life,  that 
would  be  otherwise  worthless.  What  if  we  suffered?  The  poor 
rebels  suffered  ten-fold. 

The  night  following  the  battle  of  the  3rd  I  rode  out  and  over  the 
battlefield  at  2  o'clock  a.  m.  I  could  scarcely  find  passage  for  my 
horse  for  the  dead  and  wounded.  In  one  road  it  was  impossible, 
until  I  had  them  removed.  The  shrieks  of  anguish  and  prayers  for 
relief,  were  heart-rending.  I  only  feel  that  this  is  a  trial,  not  a  judg 
ment  upon  our  nation,  and  that  we  will  come  out  of  it  as  "refined 
gold,"  and  that  my  children  will  be  enabled  to  sing  "Columbia, 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  [27 

Columbia,  to  Glory  Arise,   the  Queen  of  the  World,   and  the  Child 
of  the  Skies." 

Your  united  prayers  have  been  answered,  and  with  them  I  will 
live  to  see  my  country  triumphant  over  all  disaster,  and  able  to  com 
pete  with  any  foreign  enemy. 


Near  Stevensburg,  Va., 

March   25,    1864. 

An  attempt  is  being  made  to  re-organize  the  army,  and  so  far  it 
has  been  worse  than  a  farce.  As  I  anticipated,  and  intimated  in  a 
former  letter,  absent  officers,  of  higher  rank  than  myself,  have  been 
ordered  to  the  army. 

The  Third  Corps  has  been  broken  up,  but  to  complete  the  sacrifice, 
the  Third  Division,  Second  Corps,  is  called  upon  to  disband.  The 
noble  old  organization  still  survives,  and  I  am  still  its  commander, 
but  in  a  few  days  I  fear  it  will  be  "like  the  baseless  fabric  of  a 
vision." 

There  has  been  considerable  excitement  on  the  subject.  Many  of 
the  officers  of  the  old  division  assembled  at  headquarters  to  await 
my  return  from  Hancock.  When  I  announced  the  dissolution  of  "our 
old  pet,"  silence,  and  each  lowered  head,  spoke  louder  than  words, 
the  disappointment,  if  not  the  mortification  of  all. 

It  was  very  touching  to  me,  at  the  same  time  very  nattering,  as 
it  tested  the  feeling  of  my  subordinates. 

Reports  flew,  from  brigade  to  brigade.  I  was  at  first  assigned  to 
my  Centerville  boys,  and  they  were  very  jubilant,  cheering  the  news 
lustily.  All  except  the  Garibaldi  Guards.  One  of  them  was  heard 
to  exclaim:  "H — 1!  Old  Hays  is  coming  back,  and  there  won't  be 
a  man  of  us  left  alive!" 

At  the  same  time  my  Kearney  brigade,  with  the  Sixty-third,  laid 
claim  to  me.  Birney  solicited  me,  on  their  behalf,  and  his  own, 
very  urgently,  and  I  accepted.  I  am,  therefore,  back  where  I  began 
the  way,  and  the  Sixty-third  is  again  under  my  command. 


Camp  Bullock,  March  30,  1864. 

As  you  will  see  by  enclosed  "Farewell  address,"  I  have  parted 
with  my  old  command  and  assumed  a  new  one,  much  older  than 
the  last,  although  it  is  still  the  Third  Division,  Second  Army  Corps, 
which  I  am  required  to  prefix  with  "Second  Brigade."  My  fighting 
force  at  present  numbers  3,600  men,  and  it  will  soon  be  increased  to 
over  4,000,  perhaps  made  5,000. 

The  Sixty-third  are  nearly  frantic,  and  their  cheers  of  welcome 
are  loud  and  long.  The  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  and  Fifty-seventh 
were  not  much  behind.  All  are  well  pleased,  and  I  think  no  -com 
mander  ever  received  a  more  welcome  reception.  It  appears  to 
partially  reconcile  them  to  the  dismemberment  of  their  corps. 

We  are  all  allowed  to  wear  the  old  Kearney  badge,  which  is  a 
square  (l"xl")  of  deep  red  merino  cloth.  My  banner  is  of  spotless 
white,  of  triangular  shape,  bearing  in  the  center  the  square,  and 
otherwise  relieved  by  a  dark  blue  stripe  down  the  side,  which 
attaches  to  the  flagstaff.  All  are  delighted  with  the  change,  Corts 
and  Sullivan  especially.  I  have  three  new  aids  in  addition,  and  will 
be  allowed  three  permanently. 


428  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

Headquarters  Third  Division,  Second  Army  Corps, 

Camp  near  Stevensburg,  Va., 

March  26,   1864. 
Soldiers:  — 

General  Orders  No.  11,  Corps  Headquarters,  temporarily  dissolves 
the  "Old  Third  Division,"  with  which  you  have  been  so  long  asso 
ciated.  Consolidation  was  a  military  necessity,  to  accumulate  a 
power  which  no  enemy  will  be  able  to  resist. 

Although  only  nine  months  your  commander,  we  have  shared 
together  the  tiresome  inarch,  and  cheerless  bivouac.  But  within  the 
same  short  period  you  have  five  times  triumphed  over  your  enemies. 
Your  former  services  are  recorded,  and  to  them  you  have  added 
Gettysburg,  Auburn,  Bristoe,  Locust  Grove  and  Morton's  Ford. 

You  have  distinguished  yourselves,  not  only  by  your  courage  on 
the  field  of  battle,  but  by  evidences  of  your  loyalty  to  your  country, 
and  subordination  to  the  discipline  imposed  upon  you. 

It  is  trying  upon  the  soldier  to  part  with  the  badge,  associated  with 
his  long  service,  and  to  see  furled  the  banner  under  which  there  was 
always  victory, — but  it  is  a  sacrifice  exacted  by  your  country. 

It  is  my  sincere  hope  and  expectation,  that  within  a  brief  period 
of  time,  "The  Old  Division"  will  be  reorganized,  and  the  blue  tre-foil 
will  once  more  wave  over  you. 

Until  then  your  banner  will  be  sacredly  preserved  and  restored 
to  you,  or  otherwise  it  will  be  deposited  where  it  will  be  a  memento 
to  the  nation,  of  your  triumphs  and  your  sacrifices. 

ALEXANDER   HAYS, 

Official.  Brigadier  General  Volunteers. 

GEORGE  P.  CORTS, 

Assistant  Adjutant  General. 


MRS  HAYS    (IN   CAMP)    TO  HER   FAMILY. 

Centerville,  Va.,  June  18,   1863. 
My  Dear  Father: 

The  general,  with  myself  and  escort,  started  to  look  for  the  Sixty- 
third  soon  after  breakfast,  and  after  riding  some  hours  we  came 
suddenly  upon  them  encamped  on  the  other  side  of  Bull  Run,  near 
the  old  battlefield.  "At  once  there  rose  so  wild  a  yell,"  upon  the 
arrival  of  their  beloved  colonel,  that  regiments  ran  in  every  direc 
tion  to  see  what  could  be  the  matter.  The  men  gathered  around  to 
shake  hands,  and  get  one  word.  I  never  saw  the  general  so  elated. 
He  had  something  witty  to  say  to  all,  and  when  Dougherty,  of  Com 
pany  H,  came  pushing  forward,  Alex,  (the  general)  raised  his  hands 
and  said:  "Why,  is  it  possible  that  Company  H  is  yet  alive!"  Such 
roars  you  never  heard.  We  remained  an  hour,  and  on  leaving  they 
gave  three  cheers  for  "our  general."  I  saw  Ryan,  Gross,  Haymaker, 
Maynard,  McClelland,  etc.,  and  Major  Danks. 


GEORGE  P.  CORTS,  ASSISTANT  ADJUTANT  ON  GENERAL  HAYS' 
STAFF,  TO  FRIENDS  IN  PITTSBURGH. 

Washington,  D.  C.,  May  18,  1863. 

I  am  happy  in  being  again  in  the  military  service,  having  received 
appointment  of  assistant  adjutant  general,  and  the  additional  good 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  429 

luck  of  being  ordered  to  duty  with  General  Hays,   and"  will  enter 
upon  my  duties  tomorrow. 

The  general  says  the  Sixty-third  No.  2  is  now  organized,  and 
when  opportunity  affords  the  fame  and  glory  of  the  "Iron- 
Clad"  Sixty-third  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  will  be  fully 
sustained  by  the  Third  Brigade.  General  Hays  is  extremely 
popular  with  his  troops;  they  have  perfect  confidence  in  him  and 
know  when  it  comes  to  fighting  they  will  have  to  do  their  work. 

It  is  sad  to  think  of  the  loss  of  so  many  of  our  brave  comrades, 
yet  pleasant  to  know  that  all  (with  one  exception)  did  nobly,  and 
the  Sixty-third  looms  up  gloriously. 

I  am  very  respectfully, 

Your  friend, 

GEORGE  P.   CORTS. 


GENERAL  HEINTZELMAN  TO  GOVERNOR  CURTIN 
(PENNSYLVANIA.) 

July  30,  1862. 

No  regiment  in  the  army  has  been  more  distinguished  than  the 
Sixty-third. 


JOE  HOOPES,  COMPANY  C,  TO  HIS  FAMILY. 

Camp  Johnston,  February  15,  1862. 

We  went  out  Monday  morning  on  picket  about  eight  miles  from 
camp,  on  the  turnpike,  (the  road  most  of  our  men  marched  on  to 
Bull  Run).  We  amused  ourselves  during  the  day  hunting  rabbits, 
pheasants  and  partridges,  which  are  very  abundant.  Our  cavalry 
were  out  scouting  when  they  came  in  sight  of  about  800  rebels,  who 
yelled,  "Send  out  the  bloody  Sixty-third  if  they  want  to  get  licked." 
They  reported  at  headquarters,  when  Company  I  was  started  double- 
quick  for  Pohick,  followed  by  one  company  of  cavalry,  and  Com 
panies  E  and  C.  Company  I  and  the  cavalry  alone  raced  the  rebels 
to  their  picket  lines,  capturing  one.  No  one  was  hurt. 


March  6,  1862. 

Captain  Chapman,  Company  K,  Quartermaster  Lysle  and  one 
private  were  killed  in  a  skirmish  while  scouting  night  before  last, 
and  a  private  of  Company  K  wounded.  It  was  a  disastrous  affair 
for  us,  for  we  lost  some  of  our  best  men. 


Camp  near  Hampton,  Va., 

March  25,   1862. 

En  route  to  Fort  Monroe,  we  passed  the  Monitor.  I  was  never 
more  surprised  than  when  I  saw  it.  I  supposed  it  to  be  a  large  boat 
all  covered  with  iron,  instead  of  which  all  you  can  see  is  something 
like  a  large  tub  floating  around  on  a  flat  board. 


November  10,  1863. 

We  now  draw  for  rations  soft  bread,  beans,  fresh  beef  four  times 
a  week,  salt  pork  three  times  a  week,  dried  apples,  potatoes,  sugar, 
coffee,  salt,  vinegar,  etc.,  so  you  see  they  are  feeding  us  up  for  the 
slaughter. 


430  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

Near  Brandy  Station,  Va., 

January  19,   1864. 

Samuel  Miller,  conscript,  Company  — ,  died  last  night. 
Lieutenant  Weeks,  Company  H,  died  in  hospital  this  morning  from 
wounds. 


Camp  Bullock,  Va.,  February  1,  1864. 

The  Sixty-third  has  made  its  reputation  without  the  aid  of  news 
papers.  One  of  Colonel  (now  General)  Hays'  rules  was  never  to 
allow  his  regiment  to  be  puffed,  and  once  when  it  was,  he  was  very 
angry.  He  always  told  us,  deeds  would  speak  for  themselves,  and 
that  the  "Old  Ironsides"  would  take  care  of  itself. 


April   1,   1864. 

General  Hays  says  he  thinks  we  will  be  mustered  out  about 
August  25th.  Some  say  not  until  October  9th.  I  saw  General  Hays 
this  morning;  he  was  very  pleasant,  and  shook  hands  very  cordially, 
inquiring  how  I  was  getting  along,  and  thought  soldiering  agreed 
excellently  with  me. 

Thursday,  June   2,    1864. 

Very  heavy  volleys  of  musketry  and  cannonading  from  4  to  5  a. 
m.,  which  continued  throughout  the  day.  Left  park  near  New 
Castle,  at  7  a.  m.,  crossed  the  Mattaquin  Creek,  and  parked  four 
miles  from  Cold  Harbor,  and  fifteen  miles  from  Richmond.  Our 
forces  are  within  six  miles  of  Richmond. 


Steamer  Commodore,  Annapolis,  Md., 

June   4,   1862. 

We  came  down  with  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men  from  Richmond, 
and  arrived  here  yesterday.  Lieutenant  Hurst,  of  Rochester,  our 
first  lieutenant  (Company  C)  was  killed;  George  Gibson  (Company 
C)  had  his  leg  blown  off  by  a  cannon  ball;  Colonel  Morgan  is  shot 
through  both  hips;  Lieutenant  Maynard  (Company  B)  wounded. 
Only  fifteen  of  Company  C  and  Lieutenant  Taylor  came  out  safe. 
Thirteen  of  Company  A  and  second  lieutenant  came  out  safe.  The 
regiment  is  stationed  about  two  hundred  yards  in  front  of  us,  with 
the  horses  taken  out,  the  guns  unlimbered,  and  the  artillery  men 
lying  on  the  ground  beside  their  guns  waiting  for  the  ball  to  open. 


WILLIAM   McGRANAHAN   TO   MRS.    HAYS. 

Camp  Shields,  October   1,   1861. 

The  Sixty-third  Regiment  is  the  most  effective  regiment  in  the 
service  during  the  war.  This  may  seem  mere  boast,  but  time  will 
prove  what  I  now  assert.  Since  we  came  to  this  side  of  the  river 
we  have  been  so  very  busy  getting  the  camp  properly  -arranged  and 
the  men  made  comfortable,  that  but  little  time  could  be  devoted  to 
drilling.  From  this  time  forward  the  entire  attention  of  all  hands 
will  be  at  drill.  With  the  imperfect  drilling  heretofore  given,  we 
can  boast  of  having  been  highly  complimented  by  the  lookers-on, 
as  we  marched  from  Camp  Hays  to  Camp  Shields,  for  the  general 
appearance  of  our  regiment;  this,  too,  when  we  were  but  partly 
equipped.  Hard  to  tell  what  they  would  have  said  if  all  had  been 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  431 

fully  uniformed  and  otherwise  equipped — no  doubt  they  would  have 
expressed  their  feelings  in  the  common  and  rather  vulgar  expres 
sion:  "Ain't  that  a  bully  regiment,"  and  then  they  would  have  told 
us  only  that  of  which  we  are  fully  aware,  and  mighty  proud  we 
are  too. 

The  colonel  (Hays)  is  constantly  to  be  found  looking  after  the 
comfort  of  the  men;  late  and  early  he  can  be  seen  somewhere  in 
the  camp  instructing  in  the  many  duties  of  officers  and  soldiers. 
Already  he  is  loved  by  the  men  for  his  attention  to  their  wants,  and 
very  soon  they  will  worship  him  or  I  am  mistaken  in  human  nature. 

Our  brigade  consists  of  the  Sixty-third,  (always  first),  Sixty-first 
'and  Thirty-second,  McKnight's  regiment.  The  Sixty-first  is  Rippey's, 
the  Thirty-second  a  Philadelphia  regiment. 

We  are  not  fully  equipped,  but  expect  to  be  in  a  day  or  two. 
The  consolidation  of  the  companies  was  accomplished,  am  glad  to 
say,  very  agreeable  to  all.  The  Mercer  squad  and  Chapman's  make 
one  company;  McAninch  and  Ormsby  one  company;  Venango  and 
Armstrong  one  company.  The  others  were  recruited  full.  Our  report 
this  morning  shows  1,038  men  and  officers,  and  when  I  tell  you  that 
1,046  is  a  regiment,  you  know  how  near  we  are  full,  in  fact  we  have 
all  we  want  at  present.  Captains  of  companies,  as  they  stand  in 
line  of  battle:  First,  Derringer;  second,  Hanna;  third,  Banks; 
fourth,  McHenry,  (assigned  to  command  the  'Venango  and  Arm 
strong  squads,  now  the  "Morgan  Guards");  fifth,  Ryan;  sixth, 
Chapman;  seventh,  McCullough;  eighth,  Reid;  ninth,  Ormsby; 
tenth,  Kirkwood. 

The  band  instruments  arrived  on  Monday  and  are  very  handsome, 
giving  general  satisfaction,  and  soon  we  will  be  able  to  report  our 
band  being  A-l. 

Fair  Oaks,  June   26,   1862. 

Hardly  haye  I  done  recounting  the  particulars  of  one  engagement 
in  which  the  Sixty-third  participated,  until  I  feel  us  driving  the 
enemy  and  again  hotly  contesting  the  field  with  them.  Yesterday 
morning  we  received  an  order  to  be  under  arms  at  7:30  o'clock,  and 
to  "fall  in  promptly"  as  it  was  important  on  this  occasion.  We 
were  on  hand  at  the  appointed  hour,  and  an  aide  brought  an  order 
to  the  colonel  to  march  out  to  the  rifle  pits,  which  we  did,  and  were 
met  by  General  Robinson,  who  gave  the  colonel  some  instructions, 
and  away  we  went  toward  a  wood  in  front  of  us  in  which  were  our 
pickets.  Soon  we  came  upon  our  pickets  and  formed  a  line  on  the 
same  front  with  them.  Colonel  Hays  then  threw  out  skirmishers, 
and  this  was  the  first  intimation  we  had  of  the  intention  to  advance 
on  the  rebel  pickets,  but  advance  we  did,  and  driving  them  before 
us,  were  supported  by  the  Twentieth  Indiana,  a  regiment  recently 
attached  to  our  brigade.  We  soon  came  upon  the  rebel  reserve,  how 
ever,  and  for  awhile  we  were  checked.  Hooker's  division  on  the 
right  had  a  hard  fight  for  the  position  they  gained,  and  the  volleys 
of  musketry  were  equal  to  any  heard  on  the  day  of  the  Battle  of 
Fair  Oaks.  All  day  our  line  held  the  woods,  and  we  were  forced  to 
maintain  our  position  all  night,  and  of  course  everybody  had  to 
remain  awake  to  prevent  surprise,  which  was  attempted  several 
times.  In  an  alarm  and  firing  about  1  o'clock  a.  m.,  Lieutenant  S. 
Hays  Cochran,  of  Company  G,  a  native  of  Franklin,  Venango  county, 
was  badly  wounded  and  died  today.  Poor  Cochran  f  He  did  his 


432  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

duty  and  brought  the  company  through  the  Battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  but 
fell  in  the  comparatively  small  affair  of  today.  We  were  consider 
ably  worn  out  this  morning  when  we  fell  back  to  the  rifle  pits. 
The  fatigue  of  yesterday,  with  the  loss  of  sleep  last  night,  told  on 
us  and  all  hands  were  glad  to  get  to  camp  for  dinner.  We  had  a 
pretty  severe  little  fight  and  if  General  Kearney's  words  can  be 
believed,  the  Sixty-third  has  immortalized  herself.  He  came  up  to 
Colonel  Hays  on  the  line  last  night  just  before  dark,  and  said: 
"Colonel,  I  congratulate  you!  You  have  done  well!"  Upon  which 
Colonel  Hays  replied:  "Thank  you,  General."  The  general  then 
announced:  "THIS  is  the  regiment  that  has  covered  itself  -with 
glory."  He  kindly  inquired  after  the  wounded,  and  this  morning 
told  Colonel  Hays  to  send  his  report  of  the  regiment's  loss  as  soon 
as  possible,  "that  the  men  might  have  due  credit."  The  list  of  our 
killed,  wounded  and  missing  is  slight  in  comparison  with  some  of 
the  regiments  which  assisted  us  in  driving  in  the  rebel  lines. 

This  morning  a  terrible  cannonading  was  opened  far  on  the  right, 
about  7  o'clock,  and  has  been  kept  up  ever  since,  and  it  is  now  10 
o'clock.  What  it  means  we  do  not  know  yet,  but  rumor  says  that 
McDowell  has  effected  a  connection  with  Porter  on  the  right,  and 
that  they  are  swinging  around  on  Richmond  with  all  their  forces. 
Terrific  cheering  has  been  heard  for  the  last  half  hour,  the  cannon 
ading  has  ceased,  and  we  almost  believe  that  Richmond  has  been 
taken. 


Four  Miles  from  James  River, 

July   5,   1862. 

After  lengthy,  rapid  and  fatiguing  marches,  sundry  desperate 
fights,  and  fearful  exposures,  we  are  at  last  at  a  place  of  rest.  Here 
in  a  beautiful  wood,  some  three  or  four  miles  'from  the  James  River, 
we  have  been  since  the  afternoon  of  July  3rd,  spending  the  "Glorious 
Fourth"  in  making  up  reports  of  late  battles. 

Only  we,  ourselves,  know  what  we  have  suffered  in  this  grand 
change  in  the  base  of  military  operations  (modification  of  "hasty 
retreat").  We  were  informed  on  the  evening  of  June  28th  that  a 
general  move  of  the  entire  army  would  take  place  next  day,  and 
appearances  indicated  that  it  would  not  be  a  "forward"  one,  so  we 
were  in  a  measure  prepared  to  "fall  back,"  and  report  said  that  our 
final  stand  would  be  made  at  the  James  River.  Shortly  after  day 
light,  on  the  29th,  the  move  commenced.  Our  brigade  fell  back  to 
the  second  line  of  rifle  pits  and  redoubts,  held  by  us  on  the  night 
df  the  Fair  Oaks  battle,  May  31st.  At  noon  our  regiment  was  sent 
on  picket  to  the  front,  some  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  to  watch  and 
retard  the  advance  of  the  rebel  scouts  and  outposts.  It  was  after  3 
o'clock  before  we  were  withdrawn.  All  this  time  the  retreat  was 
going  on,  and  as  our  division  (Kearney's)  had  not  moved,  it  became 
generally  known  that  we  were  the  rear  guard,  and  would  cover  the 
retreat — a  dangerous  and  honorable  position — one  which  would 
cover  us  with  glory  if  we  performed  our  work  well,  and  I  am  happy 
to  say  now  that  the  work  is  over,  that  we  have  the  glory,  and  the 
beauty  of  it  is  that  it  is  conceded  by  the  entire  division  that  to  the 
Sixty-third  belongs  the  laurels  of  the  fight  of  the  30th,  the  Battle 
of  Nelson's  Farm. 

General  Kearney  is  loud  in  his  praise  of  the  colonel  and  his  regi 
ment,  and  General  Berry,  commanding  a  brigade  in  Kearney's  divis- 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  433 

ion,  declares  he  never  saw  a  regiment  behave  so  cool  under  fire,  or 
deliver  more  deliberate  volleys  of  musketry  into  an  enemy.  The 
Sixty-third  has  now  a  lasting  fame,  but  at  a  sacrifice  of  many  of  its 
brave  members. 

Our  loss  on  the  30th  was  11  killed,  64  wounded  and  23  missing, 
the  greater  part  of  the  "missing"  supposed  to  be  killed  or  badly 
wounded  and  prisoners. 

Yesterday  regimental  bands  played  all  day,  and  the  national 
salutes  were  fired  in  every  division.  General  McClellan  rode 
through  the  entire  army,  and  at  each  corps  headquarters,  a  major 
general's  salute  was  fired.  The  demonstration  sounded  little  like 
the  enemy  were  lying  in  force  scarce  one  mile  and  a  half  from  us. 

'Our  regiment  is  coming  up  wonderfully;  from  150,  the  number 
present  July  1st,  we  have  increased  to  400.  Scon  we  hope  to  have 
the  Sixty-third  almost  up  to  its  old  Camp  Johnston  standard. 

We  have  a  Pittsburgh  volunteer  surgeon  attending  our  regiment 
now — Dr.  Whitesell,  a  splendid  man  and  one  who  is  doing  more 
for  our  men  than  any  surgeon  we  ever  had. 


Camp  near  James  River,  July  29,  1862. 

Nothing  of  importance  has  transpired  in  camp  recently.  "All 
quiet  along  the  lines,"  and  we  are  now  occupied  as  when  at  Camp 
Johnston,  drilling,  reviewing,  inspecting,  parading,  etc.,  and  it» seems 
like  old  times,  but  that  we  miss  so  many  familiar  faces  that  now 
"lie  deep  in  the  sacred  soil,"  inhabit  the  walls  of  Richmond  Tobacco 
Prison,  or  swelter  in  the  close  atmosphere  of  some  hospital.  Ah, 
dear  friend,  the  Sixty-third  is  not  the  Sixty-third  you  left  last 
winter.  That  long  line  of  well-equipped  and  neatly-uniformed  men 
has  been  lessened  dreadfully,  and  of  the  thousand  and  six  originally 
forming  the  gallant  Sixty-third,  only  five  hundred  and  thirty  are  now 
with  us.  Such  is  life!  Such  are  the  fruits  of  this  wicked  and  most 
unholy  war.  If  our  loss  is  a  fair  average  of  the  balance  of  McClel- 
lan's  army,  the  reduction  in  his  forces  by  killed,  died  of  disease, 
missing  in  action,  absent  at  the  hospitals,  sick  and  wounded,  must 
have  been  tremendous. 


Camp  Pitcher,  near  Falmouth,  Va., 

March  2,   1863. 

We  make  a  short  move  tomorrow  with  this  brigade — change  of 
camp  some  two  and  a  half  miles  to  the  left,  on  account  of  the 
scarcity  of  wood  where  we  are  now;  we  have  cut  and  burned  nearly 
every  tree  within  one  and  a  half  miles.  It  is  now  too  far  to  carry 
wood,  and  we  cannot  get  wagons  just  when  we  require  them.  It  is 
astonishing  what  a  vast  quantity  of  wood  the  army  consumes  in  two 
or  three  months.  When  we  came  here,  about  the  last  of  November, 
thick  pine  forests  shielded  us  from  the  wind  on  every  side,  and  ran 
down  almost  to  the  river  bank.  Now  the  steeples  of  Fredericksburg 
can  be  seen  plainly  from  where  I  write,  although  they  are  a  mile  and 
a  half  away. 

From  just  above  my  tent  the  famous  "Crest"  Burnside  speaks  of 
in  his  report  of  the  battle,  is  distinctly  visible.  I  wish  you  were 
here  to  go  with  me  and  survey  the  scene  of  the  terrible  carnage  of 
December  11,  12,  13  and  14,  the  scenes  of  Burnside's  Fredericksburg 
disaster.  It  is  quite  interesting  and  novel  to  go  down  to  the  Rappa- 


434  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

hannock  and  watch  the  wretched  rebs  promenade  the  streets  of  the 
city,  within  a  stone's  throw  of  you,  and  looking  across,  one  can 
scarcely  believe  that  that  narrow  stream  forms  a  boundary  (at  pres 
ent)  of  more  importance  than  the  vast  ocean  between  Europe  and 
the  United  States.  It  is  the  division  line  here  between  the  Northern 
and  Southern  Confederacies,  and  a  fearful  one  it  is.  The  pickets 
upon  the  opposite  shores  are  forbidden  to  hold  any  conversation 
with  each  other  now,  it  having  been  noted  that  frequently  quite 
noisy  quarrels,  wars  of  words,  were  carried  on,  sometimes  political 
debates,  and  it  was  feared  that  some  day  they  might  open  a  little 
engagement  across  the  river  without  authority,  to  try  the  range  of 
their  guns  on  the  "Butternuts." 

Let  me  give  you  the  result  of  this  morning's  report: 

Present  for  duty,  officers  and  men 392 

Sick,  officers  and  men.  .  .34 


Total  present 426 

Officers  absent,  sick,  with  leave  and  on  detached 

duty    9 

Men  with  and  without  leave 2 

Men  on  detached  service 58 

Men  sick  and  wounded  in  hospitals 113 


Aggregate    present    and   absent    officers    and 
men    608 

Out  of  113  absent  sick  and  wounded,  there  are  probably  30  that 
have  been  discharged  from  service  at  hospitals  on  account  of  dis 
ability,  reducing  the  average  to  578.  Five  hundred  and  seventy-eight 
left  out  of  1,046  Pennsylvanians  the  colonel  brought  across  the 
Potbmac  one  year  ago,  upon  the  29th  of  September.  The  colonel 
said,  as  we  moved  up  toward  Fort  Ellsworth,  "Now,  boys,  we  are 
upon  the  sacred  soil  of  Virginia."  Alas!  how  many  of  them  never 
got  off  it? 

Those  reported  "present,  sick,"  are  in  the  majority,  but  slightly 
ill;  colds  from  exposure,  etc.;  several  of  them  are  just  recovering 
from  measles — big  boys  to  have  measles. 


Birney's  Division  Hospital, 

May  20,   1863. 

Dear  Brother: — Hard  job  to  write  lying  on  my. back,  but  I  must 
scratch  a  few  lines  to  relieve  your  anxiety.  I  am  doing  very  well, 
although  not  yet  out  of  danger.  On  Sunday  morning,  May  3rd, 
about  6  o'clock,  I  was  shot  through  the  left  side  by  a  minnie  ball, 
the  ball  passing  clean  through  and  went  on  its  way  rejoicing,  having 
entered  the  small  of  my  back,  about  two  and  a  half  inches  from  the 
backbone,  and  coming  out  in  the  abdomen  pretty  well  towards  the 
side.  Shot  in  the  back,  but  no  disgrace  as  I  was  mounted,  and 
endeavoring  to  steady  the  men  as  we  fell  back  to  a  position  where 
we  had  the  advantage  of  the  "graybacks."  Feeling  myself  wounded 
and  unable  to  remain  in  the  saddle,  I  checked  up  the  horse  and  dis 
mounted.  The  animal  broke  from  me  immediately,  and  I  followed 
on  after  the  regiment  about  fifty  yards,  but  had  to  give  it  up  as 
I  was  getting  so  weak.  Down  I  went,  face  foremost,  among  some 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD   REGIMENT  435 

bed  clothes  upset  from  a  medicine  wagon.  There  I  lay  while  the 
battle  raged  around  and  over  me,  and  the  demon  rebels  came  howling 
on.  In  half  an  hour  the  fierceness  of  the  conflict  ceased  directly 
about  me;  the  rebels  went  to  the  right  and  left  into  the  woods. 
Then  it  was  that  I  espied  a  Sixty-third  boy  who  had  come  that  far 
back  to  look  for  a  wounded  comrade.  I  hailed  him  and  got  a  drink 
of  water.  He  got  me  fixed  more  comfortably  and  I  had,  previous  to 
that,  turned  over  on  my  back,  which  I  found  a  great  relief.  I  now 
discovered  that  some  portion  of  my  insides  had  run  out  through 
the  hole  in  my  abdomen.  This  alarmed  me  considerably,  and  I 
gave  up  entirely,  had  no  hope  of  ever  getting  away  from  there  alive. 
A  few  moments  after  some  two  or  three  other  "Yankees"  gathered 
around  me  and,  making  a  litter  and  placing  some  of  the  comforts 
on  me,  carried  me  inside  our  lines,  some  quarter  of  a  mile.  The  fire 
now  became  very  hot,  shot  and  shell  flew  around  us.  I  saw  one  or 
two  of  the  boys  waver  and  requested  them  to  carry  me  to  'the  side 
of  a  brook,  about  one  hundred  yards  distant.  This  they  did,  and 
then  all  but  the  Sixty-third  boy  left  me.  While  piling  up  knap 
sacks  about  me  to  keep  balls  and  pieces  of  shell  from  striking 
me,  he  had  his  left  hand  struck  off  by  a  missile,  and  I  made  him  leave 
me  at  once.  After  that  I  had  rebel  care  entirely.  They  were  very 
kind,  but  relieved  me  of  several  articles  which  they  said  I  would 
not  need,  sword,  belt,  hat,  etc.  They  put  up  a  shelter  to  keep  off 
the  sun  as  it  grew  warm.  Towards  night  a  rebel  surgeon  came  and 
gave  me  several  powders  of  morphine  to  allay  my  suffering  for  the 
night.  I  passed  the  night  very  easy.  The  rebels  made  me  some 
coffee  for  breakfast  and  wanted  me  to  eat  some  of  their  biscuit,  but  I 
couldn't  go  them — all  dough.  About  10  o'clock  I  was  carried  back 
into  the  field  where  I  had  been  shot,  and  taken  to  an  old  barn  where 
a  Federal  hospital  had  been  established.  Here  I  was  made  pretty 
comfortable,  and  the  surgeons,  Drs.  Zookly,  Webster,  Leet  and  others, 
(Federals),  commenced  to  deliberate  on  the  disposal  of  what  had 
run  out  of  the  abdomen  hole.  The  second  day  they  decided  that 
it  was  covering  of  the  intestines.  This  they  ligatured  and  cut  off 
even  with  the  surface  of  the  abdomen.  I  felt  much  relieved  after 
this,  and  got  along  pretty  well  on  poor  fare  for  twelve  days,  which 
I  put  in  on  my  back.  Finally  the  ambulances  came,  and  my  mis 
erable  ride  commenced.  The  jolting  and  jarring  nearly  finished  me. 
I  got  the  ambulance  to  stop  over  night  near  our  lines,  Friday,  the 
l&th,  after  we  had  crossed  the  river,  as  I  was  completely  exhausted. 
Saturday  we  proceeded  again  slowly,  and  4  p.  m.  brought  me  to 
this  hospital,  delivered  'almost  safely  from  the  hands  of  the  Philis 
tines. 

The  Sixty-third,  as  usual,  did  nobly,  as  their  loss  will  testify. 


(McGranahan  died  of  his  wound  June  2,   1S63.) 


GENERAL  ALEXANDER  HAYS. 

"On  Fame's  Eternal  Camping  Ground 

His  silent  tent  is  spread, 
And  Glory  guards,  with  solemn  round, 
The  Bivouac   of  the   Dead." 

Alexander  Hays  was  born  in  Franklin,  Pennsylvania,  on  July  8, 
1819.  He  received  a  common  school  education  in  his  native  town, 
and  later  entered  Allegheny  College  at  Meadville.  Subsequently  he 
received  an  appointment  as  cadet  in  the  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point,  where  he  graduated  in  1844,  and  where  he  had  been  the  fel 
low  student  of  U.  S.  Grant  and  Winfield  S.  Hancock. 

Immediately  on  leaving  West  Point,  he  was  assigned -to  duty,  with 
the  brevet  of  second  lieutenant,  in  the  Fourth  Infantry,  to  which 
Grant  also  belonged. 

The  Mexican  war  breaking  out  about  this  time,  his  regiment  was 
among  the  first  to  advance  upon  the  enemy's  territory,  and  in  the 
battles  of  Palo  Alto  and  Reseca  de  la  Palma,  Lieutenant  Hays  cap 
tured,  in  connection  with  Lieutenant  Woods,  likewise  a  Pennsyl- 
vanian,  the  first  gun  wrested  from  the  enemy.  In  this  engagement 
he  received  a  wound  in  the  leg,  and  in  recognition  of  his  gallantry 
in  these  actions,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant, 
and  transferred  to  the  Eighth  Infantry.  His  wound  unfitting  him 
for  active  duty  he  was  sent  on  recruiting  service  to  Western  Pennsyl 
vania,  where  he  soon  enlisted  a  battalion  of  five  hundred  men  from 
the  hardy  pioneers  of  that  region,  and  rejoined  the  army  at  Vera 
Cruz,  participating  in  all  the  engagements  until  the  end  of  the 
Mexican  war.  His  list  of  battles  numbered  twenty,  ending  at 
Zacultapan. 

On  the  restoration  of  peace,  Lieutenant  Hays  resigned  his  com 
mission  in  the  army  and  engaged  in  civil  pursuits.  His  education 
at  West  Point  made  him  a  skilled  engineer,  and  the  country  just 
then  awakening  to  the  importance  of  railroad  construction,  had  need 
of  his  services.  While  engaged  on  an  extensive  work  in  bridge 
engineering  for  the  Allegheny  Valley  Railroad,  Fort  Sumter  was 
fired  on.  Without  waiting  to  finish  his  work  he  laid  it  aside,  saying 
to  his  wife  as  he  did  so,  "That  kind  of  work  is  now  ended.  My 
country  calls,  and  I  must  hasten  to  the  field." 

He  enlisted  in  a  militia  company  in  Pittsburgh,  known  as  the  City 
Guard,  of  which  he  was  chosen  captain.  This  company  became  part 
of  the  Twelfth  Regiment,  for  the  three  months'  service,  and  Captain 
Hays  was  commissioned  major.  .  . 

In  the  summer  of  1861  he  was  appointed  captain  of  the  Sixteenth 
United  States  Infantry;  at  the  close  of  the  term  of  service  of  the 
Twelfth  he  returned  home,  and  at  once  set  about  recruiting  a  regi 
ment  for  the  war.  His  companions  of  the  old  "City  Guard"  whom  he 
had  converted  into  real  soldiers,  followed  him,  and  his  regiment  was 
designated  the  Sixty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  Major  Hays 


General  Alexander  Hays'  Monument  and  Grave,  Allegheny 
Cemetery,    Pittsburgh,    Pa. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  437 

being  commissioned  colonel.  Its  history  is  bright  with  laurels,  and 
red  with  the  blood  of  its  decimated  ranks. 

In  a  severe  engagement  at  Second  Bull  Run,  Colonel  Hays,  in  lead 
ing  his  men  up  a  steep  embankment  occupied  by  the  enemy,  was 
shot  in  the  leg,  and  that  limb  badly  shattered.  His  services  in  this 
and  subsequent  actions  did  not  pass  without  recognition  from  the 
government.  He  was  appointed  and  confirmed  brigadier  general  of 
Volunteers,  and  lieutenant  colonel  in  the  Regular  Army. 

Before  General  Hays  had  entirely  recovered  from  his  wound,  he 
was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Third  Brigade  'of  Gasey's  Divis 
ion,  Twenty-second  Corps,  in  charge  of  the  defenses  before  and 
around  Washington.  During  this  time  he  was  preparing  his  brigade 
for  the  eventful  days  of  July,  1863,  when  the  Fourth  of  '76  was 
re-endeared  to  our  heart's  affection,  in  the  new  baptism  'of  blood  and 
tears. 

On  the  third  day  of  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg,  General  Hays,  com 
manding  the  Third  Division  of  the  Second  Army  Corps,  finds  him 
self  opposed  to  General  Pickett  and  others  of  General  Hays'  class 
mates  at  West  Point,  and  comrades  of  the  Mexican  war,  had  been 
cannonading  the  opposing  lines  for  some  time,  without  effect;  then 
moves  his  troops  across  the  field,  thinking,  no  doubt,  that  his 
veterans  will  derive  these  raw  militia  like  chaff  befiore  the  wind.  But 
they  meet  General  Hays  and  his  veterans;  he  has  put  fight  into 
them.  He  restrains  himself  and  his  men  until  the  enemy  is  at  close 
quarters.  Then  the  word  is  "Up  and  at  them!"  His  rapid  well- 
directed  firing  sent  the  column  reeling  in  confusion  back  upon  its 
rear  and  centre.  A  hurricane,  charged  with  lead  and  fire  and  'death, 
consumes  them. 

The  battle  was  won.  This  was  the  decisive  charge;  and  General 
Hays  was  a  hero  among  the  heroes  of  Gettysburg.  He  takes  from 
the  enemy,  that  day,  twenty-two  regimental  banners  or  battle  flags, 
three  thousand  stand  of  arms,  and  captures  about  twice  the  number 
of  his  command.  Out  of  sixteen  mounted  orderlies  he  has  but  two 
left.  He  has  lost  all  of  his  colonels;  lieutenant  colonels  command 
brigades;  lieutenants  command  regiments.  Two  of  his  horses  are 
killed  under  him;  his  entire  staff  is  unhorsed.  Their  steeds  lie  dead 
where  they  fell,  or  are  in  their  last  agonies. 

His  men  gather  around  their  chief  to  congratulate  him.  Reeking 
with  dust  and  sweat,  and  weary  with  the  toil  of  the  'battle,  they 
receive  the  commendation  they  deserve.  How  proud  they  are  of  their 
commander.  How  proud  he  is  of  his  "boys."  The  war  cloud  has 
passed  from  his  brow,  and  the  hard-set  features  of  a  few  moments 
before  relax  into  his  kind,  familiar  smile  of  love  and  affection. 

A  correspondent  of  a  Buffalo  newspaper,  himself  a  soldier,  and 
who  was  upon  that  fatal  hill  when  the  battle  was  at  its  height 
beholding  the  deeds  of  valor  of  this  brave  leader,  and  Ms  fearless 
ness  when  the  very  air  seemed  freighted  with  danger,  thus  described 
him: 

"I  wish  you  could  have  seen  the  picture,  just  at  the  close  of  last 
Friday's  battle,  on  the  left  of  our  centre,  of  w'hich  his  splendid 
figure  formed  a  prominent  part.  Our  little  brigade,  which  had  been 
lying  on  Cemetery  Hill,  was  ordered  over  to  the  position  that  was 
so  valiantly  but  unsuccessfully  charged  by  Pettigrew.'s  rebel  division 
We  hurried  there  through  a  storm  of  shot  and  shell,  but  only  arrived 
in  time  to  see  the  grand  finale,  the  tableau  vivants,  and,  alas,  mor- 
ants,  at  the  close  of  the  drama.  The  enemy's  'batteries  were  still 


438  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

playing  briskly,  and  their  sharpshooters  kept  up  a  lively  fire,  but 
their  infantry,  slain  and  wounded  and  routed,  were  pouring,  prison 
ers,  into  our  lines  throughout  their  whole  extent. 

Then  enter  Alexander  Hays,  brigadier  general  United  States  Army, 
the  brave  American  soldier.  Six  feet  or  more  in  height,  erect  and 
smiling,  lightly  holding  in  hand  his  horse — the  third  within  an  hour, 
a  noble  animal,  his  flanks  be-spattered  with  blood,  he  seized  a  cap 
tured  rebel  flag,  handing  one  to  each  of  his  aides,  David  Shields 
and  George  P.  Corts,  all  three  dashing  along  in  front  of  our  division 
line,  trailing  ignominiously  in  the  dust  the  enemy's  flags,  now  rush 
ing  out  in  the  open  field,  a  mark  for  a  hundred  sharpshooters,  but 
never  touched,  now  quietly  cantering  back  to  our  lines  to  be  wel 
comed  with  a  storm  of  cheers.  I  reckon  him  the  grandest  view  of 
my  life.  I  bar  not  Niagara.  It  was  the  arch  spirit  of  glorious  Vic 
tory  triumphing  wildly  over  the  fallen  foe. 

The  night  after,  I  met  General  Hays  again.  After  the  fight  of 
Friday  afternoon,  we  held  the  battlefield,  our  skirmishers  forming 
a  line  on  the  outer  edge  of  it.  The  field  was  strewn  with  rebel 
wounded.  It  was  impossible  for  us  to  bring  them  in  Friday  night; 
every  apology  for  a  hospital  being  crowded,  our  own  wounded,  in 
many  cases  lying  out  all  night.  But  on  Saturday  morning  bandsmen 
were  sent  out  with  litters  to  bring  in  the  poor  fellows,  and  were 
fired  upon  so  'briskly  by  the  rebel  sharpshooters  that  it  was  impos 
sible  to  help  them.  Stories  similar  to  this  I  had  often  heard  but 
never  believed,  but  this  came  under  my  own  observation.  So  all  day 
Saturday  the  poor  fellcws  lay  there,  praying  for  death.  When  night 
fell,  another  'officer  of  my  regiment  and  myself  got  a  few  volunteers 
to  go  with  us  thinking  there  might  be  some  who  could  creep  into 
our  lines,  supported  on  either  side,  by  one  of  us.  May  God  preserve 
me  from  such  a  position  again!  We  could  do  almost  nothing.  Of  a 
thousand  wounded  men  we  found  one  whom  four  of  us  could  carry 
into  our  lines  in  a  blanket.  Other  poor  souls  would  think  they  could 
accomplish  it,  but  at  the  slightest  change  of  position,  would  fall 
back  screaming  in  awful  agony.  .Litters  we  had  none.  Then 
appeared  General  Hays  in  another  light,  less  of  the  bravado  per 
haps,  not  less  of  the  hero.  He  sent  out  two  companies,  who  cleared 
the  rebel  sharpshooters  from  a  position  they  held  in  a  ruined  build 
ing,  busied  himself  in  procuring  litters  and  bearers,  and  before 
morning  many  of  the  poor  fellows  were  safe  within  our  lines.  It 
is  not  my  good  'fortune  to  be  personally  acquainted  with  this  Gen 
eral  Alexander  Hays,  but  I  wish  everyone,  as  far  as  I  can  effect  it, 
to  honor  him  as  the  'bravest  of  soldiers,  and  love  him  as  the  best- 
hearted  of  men.  A  true  chevalier  he  must  be,  sans  peur  et  sans 
reproche.  It  seems  miraculous  that  General  Hays  escaped  unharmed." 

The  character  of  General  Hays  was  manifested  in  the  letter 
acknowledging  the  receipt  of  a  magnificent  sword,  presented  him  by 
the  citizens  of  Pittsburgh,  a  few  months  after  the  Battle  of  Gettys 
burg,  in  which  he  says:  "WThen  the  rebellion  broke  upon  us  like  a 
tornado,  in  the  desecration  of  our  flag  at  Sumter,  J  took  oath  never 
to  sheath  my  sword  until  honorable  peace  should  restore  us  to  one 
glorious  Union." 

General  Walker,  in  his  "History  of  the  Second  Army  Corps,"  thus 
speaks  cf  Generals  Hays  at  Gettysburg: 

"Here  was  to  be  seen  the  new  division  commander,  General  Alex 
ander  Hays,  with  his  staff  and  his  flag  following  him,  dashing 
along  the  skirmish  line,  inciting  his  men  to  renewed  activity,  in  the 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  439 

eye  of  both  armies.  Such  demonstrations  which,  with  General  Hays, 
were  'of  frequent  occurrence,  'were  likely  to  give  the  impression  that 
he  was  a  mere  hot-headed  fighter;  whereas,  in  fact,  his  extraordinary 
vivacity  in  battle  was  united  with  a  soundness  of  judgment  and 
firmness  of  temper  which  made  him  one  of  the  most  useful  officers 
in  the  service." 

Of  the  Confederate  battle  flags  captured,  General  Hancock's  Offi 
cial  Report  of  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg,  is  quoted: 

"There  were  undoubtedly  thirty-three  colors  captured." 

Of  these  General  Alexander  Hays'  command,  the  Third  Division  of 
the  Second  Army  Corps,  captured  twenty-two. 

In  all  the  subsequent  battles  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  General 
Hays  took  an  active  part,  with  no  less  honors  than  he  received  at 
Gettysburg. 

On  the  first  day  of  May,  1864,  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  marched 
into  the  Wilderness,  where  after  seven  days  of  fighting  they  sacrificed 
almost  ninety  thousand  men.  This  wilderness  is  a  veritable  jungle; 
of  small  undergrowth,  so  dense  that  it  is  almost  impossible  'for  a 
human  being  to  pass  through  it. 

Here  was  fought  one  of  the  most  desperate  battles  of  the  war. 

On  the  oth  of  May,  being  the  first  day's  fight  in  the  Wilderness, 
General  Hays,  then  being  in  command  of  the  survivors  of  Kearney's 
old  division  of  heroes,  occupying  the  key  to  Grant's  position,  as  was 
so  fitting  to  these  men,  was  shot  through  the  head,  from  front  to 
rear,  not  dying  for  three  hours,  so  wonderful  was  his  vitality.  Of 
his  death  a  few  of  the  reports  of  officers  who  witnessed  the  battle 
'are  quoted: 

In  General  Hancock's  Official  Report  of  the  Battle  of  the  Wilder 
ness,  he  says:  "General  Alexander  Hays,  that  dauntless  soldier, 
whose  intrepid  and  chivalric  bearing  on  so  many  battlefields  had 
won  for  him  the  highest  renown,  was  killed  at  the  head  of  his  com 
mand." 

General  Grant,  in  his  Personal  Memoirs,  speaking  of  the  death 
of  his  old  classmate,  says  "One  of  our  most  gallant  commanders, 
General  Alexander  Hays,  was  killed.  I  had  been  with  him  at  \Vest 
Point,  and  had  served  with  him  through  the  Mexican  war.  He  was 
a  most  gallant  officer,  ready  to  lead  his  command  wherever  ordered. 
With  him  it  was  'Ccme,  boys,'  not  'Go.'  ' 

The  death  of  General  Hays  is  thus  described  by  General  Walker, 
in  his  History  of  the  Secon'd  Army  Corps:  "The  losses  had  been 
heavy.  Among  the  killed  of  that  afternoon  was  General  Alexander 
Hays.  At  Gettysburg,  at  Bristoe,  at  Mine  Run,  at  Morton's  Ford, 
this  devoted  officer  rode,  with  his  staff  and  flag  behind  him,  the 
mark  of  a  thousand  riflemen,  the  admiration  of  the  two  armies, 
only  to- fall  in  a  tangled  wilderness,  where  scarce  a  regiment  could 
note  his  person,  and  derive  inspiration  from  his  courage  and  martial 
enthusiasm.  All  the  peculiar  advantages  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  were  sacrificed  in  this  jungle-fighting  into  which  they  were 
called  to  engage.  Of  what  use  here  was  the  tactical  skill  and  per 
fection  of  form;  of  what  use  here  the  example  and  the  personal 
influence  of  a  Hays  or  a  Hancock?" 

In  his  "Campaigning  with  Grant,"  General  Horace  Porter  says: 
"The  fighting  had  become  exceedingly  severe  on  that  part  of  the 
field.  General  Alexander  Hays,  one  of  the  most  gallant  officers  in 
the  service,  commanding  one  of  Hancock's  brigades,  finding  that  his 
line  had  broken,  rushed  forward  to  reorganize  his  troops,  and  was 


440  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

instantly  killed.  *  *  *  After  remaining  some  time  with  Han 
cock's  men,  I  returned  to  headquarters  to  report  the  situation  to 
the  general-in-chief,  and  carry  to  him  the  sad  intelligence  of  Hays' 
death.  General  Grant  was  by  no  means  a  demonstrative  man,  but 
upon  learning  the  intelligence  I  brought,  he  was  visibly  affected. 
He  was  seated  upon  the  ground  with  his  back  against  a  tree,  still 
whittling  pine  sticks.  He  sat  for  a  time  without  uttering  a  word, 
and  then,  speaking  in  a  low  voice,  and  pausing  between  the  sen 
tences,  said  'Hays  and  I  were  cadets  together  for  three  years.  We 
served  for  a  time  in  the  same  regiment  in  the  Mexican  war.  He 
was  a  noble  man  and  a  gallant  officer.  I  am  not  surprised  that  he 
met  his  death  at  the  head  of  his  troops;  it  was  just  like  him.  He 
was  a  man  who  would  never  follow,  lbut  would  always  lead  in 
battle.'  ' 

What  more  fitting  tribute  could  be  paid  the  memory  of  General 
Hays  than  that  in  the  formal  official  report  of  his  death:  "The 
fighting  became  very  fierce  at  once,  the  lines  of  battle  being  so  very 
close.  The  musketry  continuous  and  deadly  along  the  whole  line. 
General  Alexander  Hays,  an  officer  of  distinguished  gallantry,  was 
killed  at  the  head  of  his  command." 

The  thoughts  and  feelings  of  General  Hays  just  before  entering 
upon  that  desperate  conflict  in  the  Wilderness,  where  he  lost  his 
life,  were  expressed  in  a  letter  written  upon  the  morning  on  which 
the  march  commenced; 

"This  morning  was  beautiful,  for 
Lightly  and  brightly  shone  the  sun, 
As  if  the  morn  was  a  jocund  one. 

Although  we  were  anticipating  to  march  at  8  o'clock,  it  might 
have  been  an  appropriate  harbinger  of  the  regeneration  of  mankind; 
but  it  only  brought  to  remembrance,  through  the  throats  of  many 
bugles,  that  duty  enjoined  upon  each  "one,  perhaps,  before  the  setting 
sun,  to  lay  down  his  life  for  his  country." 

The  body  of  General  Hays  was  'brought  to  Pittsburgh  ten  days 
after  his  death,  and  buried  from  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  with 
all  the  honors  of  war.  Business  was  suspended  and  the  city  paid 
homage  to  the  memory  of  one  loved  and  admired  by  all.  As  the 
funeral  cortege  passed  from  the  church  to  the  Allegheny  cemetery 
in  Lawrenceville,  cannon  along  the  hillside  boomed  forth  honors 
to  the  dead  soldier,  while  thousands  of  people  lined  the  streets  with 
uncovered  heads  as  the  funeral  passed  along. 

In  the  presence  of  many  of  the  men  who  followed  him  in  battle, 
and  a  large  concourse  of  people,  his  sacred  remains  were  laid  in  the 
earth,  mourned  by  a  nation. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  a  movement  was  inaugurated  by 
the  soldiers  of  General  Hays'  command  to  erect  a  memorial  to  his 
memory.  In  a  short  time  sufficient  funds  had  been  collected  to  erect 
the  monument  which  today  marks  his  resting  place. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  battles  in  which  General  Hays  par 
ticipated: 

Mexican  War — Palo  Alto,  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  Santa  Fe,  Pasco  de 
Orejas,  National  Bridge,  Huamantla,  El  Penal,  Pueblo,  Atlixco,  San 
Augustin  de  la  Palma,  Tehuacan,  Galaxca,  Flaxcala,  Orizaba  Cor 
dova,  Tulancingo,  Zacultapan. 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  441 

Rebellion — 1861-1865 — Yorktown,  Williamsburg,  Fair  Oaks,  Peach 
Orchard,  White  Oak  Swamp,  Glendale,  Malvern,  Bristoe  (August, 
1862),  Bull  Run,  Groveton,  Gettysburg,  Auburn,  Bristoe  (October, 
1863),  Locust  Grove,  Mine  Run  Expedition,  Morton's  Ford  and  the 
Wilderness. 

AT  THE  GRAVE  OF  GENERAL  HAYS. 

I  stood  today  beside  the  tomb 

Where  sleeps  a  friend  of  other  days, 
And  read  upon  the  sculptured  stone, 

The  name  of  "Alexander  Hays." 

Thereon  was  grouped  in  grand  array 
Those  martial  emblems  which  suggest 

The  pomp  and  pageantry  of  war, 

And  thrill  the  patriot  soldier's  breast. 

On  either  side,  a  long  array 

Of  battles  fought  and  victories   won, 

In  which  the  bravest  of  the  brave 
Was  Pennsylvania's  noble  son. 

While  with  uncovered  head  I  stood, 

And  bent  with  reverential  awe, 
I  only  thought  of  "Aleck  Hays," 

And  not  the  record  of  the  war. 

I  thought  not  of  the  chief  today, 

Nor  of  the  sword  he  once  did  wield, 
His  stern,  firm  voice  so  often  heard 

Upon  the  bloody  battlefield. 

I  only  thought  of  him  as  friend, 

His  genial,  gentle,  pleasant  ways, 
Which  shed  a  gleam  of  gladness  on 

Whoever  spoke  with  Aleck  Hays. 

Once  more  methought  I  stood  with  him, 

Apart  from  battle's  wild  turmoil, 
And  grasped  again  his  honest  hand, 

On  Old  Virginia's  sacred  soil. 

I  thought  of  when  I  saw  him  last, 

Beneath  the  sunny  Southern  skies, 
Where  rolls  the  bloody  Rapidan, 

And  the  grand  old  Blue  Mountains  rise. 

Peace  to  his  ashes — let  him  rest, 

Type  of  true  soldier,  and  true  friend, 

And  let  his  memory  cherished  be, 
And  honored  until  time  shall  end. 

— Edwin    B.    Houghton    (of    Seventeenth    Maine    Regiment,    former 
member  of  his  staff.) 


442  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

COLONEL  A.  S.  M.  MORGAN. 

Algernon  Sidney  Mountain  Morgan  was  born  at  Morganza,  Pa., 
May  9,  1831,  his  father  being  James  B.  Morgan,  who  at  the  age  of 
16  was  a  member  of  a  company  raised  in  Washington  county,  Pa., 
which  marched  across  the  mountains  to  meet  the  British.  His 
grandfather  was  General  John  Morgan,  who  entered  the  army  at  an 
early  age,  and  served  as  aid  to  General  Butler,  at  St.  Glair's  defeat. 
Colonel  George  Morgan,  his  great-grandfather,  served  during  the 
entire  Revolutionary  war,  so  it  was  but  natural  that  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  should  have  a  desire  to  enter  military  life,  especially 
where  it  involved  the  national  unity. 

He  graduated  at  the  Western  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1847, 
and  was  immediately  appointed  rodman  on  the  Ohio  &  Pennsylvania 
Railroad,  whose  president  was  Geenral  William  Robinson,  of  Alle 
gheny. 

From  here  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Pittsburgh  &  Connells- 
ville  Railroad,  of  which  William  Larimer,  J.,  was  president,  and 
Oliver  W.  Barnes  chief  engineer,  being  in  charge  of  the  party  that 
made  the  first  surveys  of  that  railroad  from  West  Newton  to  Con- 
nellsville,  his  residence  being  in  Fayette  county  during  this  period. 
Here  he  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  Connellsville  coal 
field  which  later  led  to  his  engaging  in  the  coke  business  and  retir 
ing  from  civil  engineering.  At  that  time  very  little  was  known  of 
this  grade  of  coal  which  has  since  become  famous,  and  Morgan  was 
the  first  engaged  in  shipping  Connellsville  coke  regularly  to  Pitts 
burgh  and  the  west,  and  was  engaged  in  this  business  when  Presi 
dent  Lincoln's  first  call  for  volunteers  led  him  to  enlist. 

The  firm  of  Morgan  Company,  which  he  had  formed,  was  after 
wards  largely  concerned  in  the  manufacture  and  shipping  of  Con 
nellsville  coke. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  in  1861,  he  was  among  the  first 
to  tender  his  services  to  his  country,  being  elected  second  lieutenant 
of  the  old  City  Guards,  which  became  a  part  of  the  Twelfth  Regi 
ment,  and  served  out  the  three  months'  term  of  service  of  that 
organization. 

Although,  without  any  previous  military  training,  Lieutenant 
Morgan  became  proficient  in  military  tactics,  and  the  reputation  of 
the  Twelfth  and  Sixty-third  Regiments  as  being  among  the  best 
drilled  and  disciplined  commands  in  the  army,  was  largely  due  to 
his  patient  and  efficient  efforts. 

Immediately  on  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  service  of  the 
Twelfth  Regiment,  Alexander  Hays,  who  had  been  major  of  that 
regiment,  was  commissioned  colonel  with  authority  to  raise  a  regi 
ment,  resulting  in  the  recruiting  of  the  Sixty-third,  of  which  Morgan 
became  lieutenant  colonel,  and  in  which  he  was  materially  inter 
ested  in  recruiting.  His  former  experience  as  drill  master  proved  a 
vital  feature  in  the  future  of  this  fighting  regiment. 

In  the  terrific  Battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,  May  31,  1862,  Colonel 
Morgan,  then  in  command  of  the  regiment  temporarily,  was  terrible 
wounded,  and  carried  off  the  field,  never  to  return  to  active  service. 
For  distinguished  bravery  in  this  and  former  actions  he  was  pro 
moted  to  colonel,  September  29,  1862,  vice  Colonel  Hays,  promoted 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  443 

to  brigadier  general,  and  was  discharged  April  16,  1863,  while  still 
confined  to  bed,  on  account  of  wounds  received. 

In  December,  1863,  Colonel  Morgan  was  appointed  military  store 
keeper  of  the  ordinance  department  of  the  Allegheny  arsenal,  Pitts 
burgh,  Pa.,  where  he  was  stationed  until  he  was  retired  for  disabil 
ity  caused  by  a  cataract,  June  6,  1894,  with  the  exception  of  the 
four  years  from  1875  to  1879,  when  he  was  stationed  at  Rock  Island 
arsenal  at  ordinance  storekeeper. 

He  is  now  a  retired  officer  of  the  United  States  Army  with  the 
rank  of  major,  and  residing  at  Pittsburgh. 


WILLIAM   SPEER  KIRKWOOD. 

William  Speer  Kirkwood,  colonel  of  the  Sixty-third  Regiment, 
was  born  on  the  4th  of  July,  1835,  at  Fairview,  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania.  His  father  was  Archibald  Kirkwood,  a  native  of 
Ireland;  his  mother  Elizabeth  (Sterrars)  Kirkwood.  He  was,  in  boy 
hood,  a  farmer  and  ferryman,  early  developing  a  liking  for  naval 
life.  He  received  a  fair  English  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  place,  but  had  no  military  training.  From  youth  he  was 
steady  and  industrious;  and  it  is  remembered  as  a  somewhat  nota'ble 
circumstance,  that  he  never  saw  Pittsburgh  until  after  he  was  fifteen 
years  old.  In  person,  he  was  nearly  six  feet  in  height,  and  stoutly 
built. 

He  recruited  Company  B  for  the  Sixty-third  Regiment,  of  which 
he  was  elected  captain.  During  McClellan's  campaign,  Captain  Kirk 
wood  was  contant  at  the  post  of  duty,  sharing  with  the  humblest 
subaltern  the  'privations  and  sufferings  incident  to  a  life  in  camp, 
amid  the  bogs  and  swamps  before  Yorktown  and  upon  the  Chicka- 
hominy;  and  in  the  Battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  where  the  regiment  was 
closely  engaged,  bore  himself  with  great  gallantry,  and  fortunately, 
where  so  many  of  his  comrades  went  down,  he  was  preserved 
unscathed.  Soon  after  that  battle  he  was  promoted  to  major.  At 
Second  Bull  Run  the  regiment  was  again  subjected  to  a  fiery  ordeal. 
Kearney's  division,  to  which  it  belonged,  was  drawn  up  in  line  of 
battle  near  Groveton.  Robinson's  brigade  was  ordered  to  advance 
upon  an  old  railroad  bed,  behind  which  the  enemy's  skirmishers 
had  taken  shelter.  Before  reaching  it,  two  picked  men  from  each 
company  were  sent  forward  to  drive  out  these  troublesome  marks 
men.  The  left  of  the  line  was  already  warmly  engaged,  when  Gen 
eral  Kearney  rode  up  to  Colonel  Hays  and  ordered  him  to  charge, 
saying,  as  he  gave  the  order,  "I  will  support  you  handsomely."  No 
troops  could  have  obeyed  the  order  more  gallantly,  'but  as  the  line 
approached  the  embankment,  it  received,  unexpectedly,  a  deadly  fire 
from  the  concealed  foe,  which  threw  it  into  some  confusion.  Rally 
ing,  it  again  went  forward,  and  again  was  it  saluted  by  a  fatally- 
aimed  volley,  by  which  Colonel  Hays  was  wounded.  Major  Kirk 
wood  promptly  assumed  command,  and  led  his  regiment  on;  but  he 
had  scarcely  done  so,  when  he  also  was  severely  wounded  in  the 
left  leg,  being  twice  struck.  He  was  carried  from  the  field,  and  his 
wounds  found  to  be  of  a  serious  character.  In  September,  1862,  he 
was  commissioned  lieutenant  colonel  and,  in  April  following,  colonel. 

When  it  became  apparent,  near  the  close  of  this  month,  that 
Hooker  was  about  to  lead  his  army  to  meet  the  enemy, 
he  manifested  great  impatience  to  lead  his  regiment,  though 


444  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

his  wounds  were  still  open.  His  surgeon  remonstrated  with  him, 
but  he  declared  that  he  must  see  his  command  fight  and  be  with  it. 
So  crippled  was  he,  when  the  army  set  out  for  Chancellorsville,  that 
he  had  to  be  lifted  upon  his  horse,  and  no  representations  of  injury 
to  his  wounds  by  the  surgeon  could  induce  him  to  remain  in  camp. 
On  the  afternoon  of  the  2nd,  a  few  hours  before  the  Eleventh  Corps 
was  struck  by  "Stonewall"  Jackson,  Birney's  division  was  pushed 
out  nearly  two  miles  in  front  of  the  main  line  of  the  army,  where 
it  was  engaged  with  Jackson's  rear  guard,  and  when  Jackson 
attacked,  Birney  was  isolated  and  in  danger  of  being  cut  off.  But 
the  rout  of  the  Eleventh  Corps  having  been  stayed,  Birney  moved 
back,  and  after  a  midnight  struggle,  gained  his  place  in  line.  On 
Sunday  the  'battle  was  renewed,  and  though  the  Union  troops  fought 
with  their  'accustomed  heroism,  they  'contended  at  a  great  disad 
vantage.  The  Sixty-third,  standing  on  the  left  of  the  'brigade,  found 
its  flank  exposed  and  over-reached  by  the  enemy.  A  galling  fire 
was  poured  in  upon  it,  and  many  of  the  brave  fellows  were  laid  low. 
Colonel  Kirkwood,  while  conducting  the  fight  and  leading  his  men 
with  unsurpassed  bravery  and  skill,  was  stricken  down,  receiving 
wounds  which  proved  mortal.  He  survived  until  the  25th  of  June, 
subject  to  intense  suffering,  when  he  expired,  deeply  lamented  by  his 
entire  command. 

COLONEL  JOHN  ANDERSON  DANKS. 

Born  in  Venango  county,  Pennsylvania,  March  11,  1826,  he  lived 
on  a  farm  until  1840,  when  his  family  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  where 
he  obtained  a  good  common  school  education,  attending  >for  a  short 
time  the  Magill  Academy. 

By  occupation  he  was  an  iron  worker,  at  the  same  time  taking  an 
active  part  in  church  work,  exercising  his  gifts  in  the  local  ministry 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  1848  he  married  Anna 
Reese. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  he  was  living  at  Etna,  and  at 
once  commenced  recruiting  a  company  for  the  war,  which  became 
Company  E,  of  the  Sixty-third  regiment,  his  commission  as  captain 
of  such  dating  from  September  9,  1861.  He  remained  in  command 
of  the  company  until  the  Battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  May  31,  1862,  where 
he  was  wounded  in  the  right  leg,  and  sent  to  the  General  Hospital. 
After  partial  recovery  he  was  granted  a  leave  of  absence,  returning 
to  the  regiment  with  several  recruits  for  his  own  company  and  regi 
ment. 

Colonel  Hays  having  been  wounded  at  the  Second  Battle  of  Bull 
Run  and  promoted  to  brigadier  general,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Morgan 
was  promoted  colonel,  he  having  been  wounded  at  Fair  Oaks,  and 
Major  Kirkwood,  who  was  absent  on  account  of  wounds,  was  pro 
moted  to  lieutenant  colonel,  and  Captain  Danks  was  promoted 
major,  his  commission  to  date  from  September  22,  1862,  and  being 
the  senior  officer  present,  led  the  regiment  in  the  Battle  of  Fred- 
erickshurg,  Va.  In  that  engagement  he  heroically  headed  a  charge 
in  which  his  own  regiment,  with  the  One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth, 
rescued  twelve  pieces  of  artillery  and  saved  them  from  capture, 
receiving  thanks  of  General  Stoneman. 

At  Chancellorsville  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  for  weeks  endured 
the  privations  of  Libby  Prison.  Soon  after  his  exchange  he  was  pro 
moted  to  lieutenant  colonel,  to  date  from  June  26,  1863,  and  sub- 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  445 

sequently  to  colonel,  the  latter  commission  to  date  from  the  second 
day's  fight  at  Gettysburg,  where  he  and  his  command  elicited  the 
hig'hest  praise  from  his  superior  officers  for  their  conduct  in  the 
Peach  Orchard,  and  the  vicinity  of  the  Sherfy  House. 

The  regimental  monument  marks  a  spot  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Emmettsburg  Pike,  the  advanced  position  of  the  corps  on  that  day 
of  fire  and  blood, — which  they  maintained  until  their  ammunition 
was  expended  and  they  were  ordered  from  the  field. 

He  was  warmly  engaged  at  Auburn  Mills  on  the  14th  of  October, 
1863,  where  he  led  the  regiment  in  a  charge  which  resulted  fortun 
ately  and  won  the  approval  of  the  division  commander,  the  gallant 
Birney. 

At  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness  he  was  wounded  in  the  left  arm, 
but  sufficiently  recovered  to  participate  in  the  'battles  before  Peters 
burg.  At  the  expiration  of  the  three  years  for  which  the  regiment 
was  recruited,  he,  with  a  small  remnant  of  his  command,  was  mus 
tered  out  and  he  returned  to  his  home. 

On  account  of  wounds  he  was  unfit  to  follow  his  former  calling; 
starting  a  grocery  in  Etna — his  heart  was  too  big — it  did  not  prove 
a  success.  At  the  same  time  he  was  supplying  the  pulpits  of  several 
young  and  weak  churches  for  a  mere  pittance.  In  1866  he  was 
elected  to  the  State  Legislature.  In  1870  he  united  witn  the  Pitts 
burgh  Methodist  Episcopal  Conference  and  did  acceptable  work  at 
the  various  stations  to  which  assigned,  dying,  as  it  were,  in  the 
harness. 

As  a  Grand  Army  worker  he  had  no  superior  and  was  known  far 
and  wide  by  his  lectures  on  Gettysburg,  his  thrilling  speeches  and 
soul-inspiring  songs,  which  have  been  listened  to  and  appreciated  by 
young  and  old,  by  veteran  and  civilian  alike.  These,  with  his 
church  work,  were  a  severe  strain  on  his  powers  of  endurance,  but 
he  never  refused  a  call  when  within  the  limits  of  a  possibility;  his 
services  were  cheerfully  given  often  at  the  expense  of  his  strength. 

He  early  identified  himself  with  the  Union  Veteran  Legion,  and  at 
the  time  of  'his  death  was  chaplain  in  chief  of  the  national  organi 
zation. 

John  A.  Banks  was  brave,  honest  and  true;  impetuous  at  times, 
positive  in  his  manner — by  some,  deemed  unyielding — when  he 
thought  he  was  right;  impatient  in  dictation,  yet  he  ever  listened 
to  the  voice  of  reason. 

No  man,  very  few  at  least,  ever  realized  more  than  he  the  weak 
ness  of  our  fallen  natures,  and  many  were  his  struggles,  known  only 
to  himself,  and  to  his  Savior,  in  battling  against  his  nature.  His 
was  a  character  full,  both  of  solid  convictions  and  good  impulses, 
rugged  in  a  degree,  but  permeated  with  the  influence  of  gentleness. 

He  was  generous  to  a  fault,  the  glitter  of  wealth,  the  promptings 
of  an  ambition  had  no  charm  for  him.  "He  went  about  doing  good," 
content  with  a  modest  competence  which  he  was  ever  ready  to  share 
with  the  less  fortunate. 

Colonel  Banks  died  at  Glenfield,  Pa.,  July  25,  1896,  and  was 
buried  at  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Peace  to  his  ashes,  let  him  rest, 

Type  of  true  soldier  and  true  friend, 

And  let  his  memory  cherished  be, 
And  honored  until  time  shall  end." 


446  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

THE  SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  BLUE. 

By  John  A.  Danks. 

For  many  years  prior  to  1861,  political  differences,  individual 
opinions  and  interpretations,  coupled  with  selfishness  and  ambition, 
kept  the  nation  in  a  constant  turmoil.  Statesmen  East,  West,  North 
and  South  grappled  with  those  questions  and  differences,  but  no 
solution  came  to  the  nation.  Indeed,  their  efforts  seemed  only  to 
result  in  a  widening  of  the  breach,  so  that  it  was  manifest  that  a 
storm  was  gathering  in  America.  In  1860  dark  political  clouds  were 
.seen  around  our  horizon.  In  1861  they  had  spread  over  our  national 
sky  and  war  was  declared  in  free  America.  The  sun  of  peace  and 
prosperity  was  darkened.  The  sound  of  the  timbrel  and  harp  gave 
place  to  the  fife  and  drum,  and  war,  cruel  war,  was  in  the  land; 
but  there  was  patriotism,  virtue  and  honor  in  the  people  and  they 
were  sufficient  for  the  occasion. 


When  the  war  cloud,  dark  and  dreary, 

O'er  the  nation  spread  its  pall; 
When  Freedom's  eagle,  faint  and  weary, 

Reeling,  toppling,  seemed  to  if  all; 
Then  it  was,  with  courage  dauntless, 

For  the  right,  the  good,  the  true, 
There  came  in  numbers  almost  countless, 

Patriotic  men  in  blue. 


Bravely  did  our  country's  yeomen, 

With  our  banner  floating  high, 
Meet  the  foes  of  right  and  freedom, 

Each  resolved  to  win  or  die, 
Some  have  fallen,  and  now  moulder 

In  the  grave  oft  wet  with  dew, 
But  the  fame  of  Union  soldier 

Is  immortal,  like  the  blue. 


April  Ninth,  at  Ap'pomattox, 

Witnessed  what  words  cannot  say; 
When  our  God,  with  Grant  commanding, 

Stamped  defeat  on  all  the  gray. 
Then  it  was  our  prayers  were  answered, 

And  our  term  of  service  through, 
When  old  glory,  unmolested, 

Waved  in  triumph  o'er  the  blue. 


Wave  it  must  while  time  is  passing; 

Wave  it  will  when  time  is  o'er; 
From  the  womb  of  morning  flashing, 

Proudly  gild  the  eternal  shore. 
But  the  gray  to  darkness  driven, 

All  the  ceaseless  ages  through, 
While  the  pure  and  good  in  heaven, 

Crowned  with  freedom,  hail  the  blue. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  447 

Comrades,  we  should  never  falter, 

But  through  life  together  stand; 
All  we  have  placed  on  the  altar 

Of  this  highly  favored  land; 
Kindly  caring  for  the  widow, 

And  the  orphan  of  the  true, 
Till  the  immortal  Camp  Commander 

Says,  'Receive  the  white  for  blue.' 

Then  earth's  bugle  calls  no  longer 

Can  disturb  our  calm  repose; 
There  we  change  by  growing  stronger, 

Never  overpowered  by  foes. 
Wait,  then,  hero,  wait  the  sequel 

To  this  life  of  checkered  hue! 
Time  will  show  Grod  owns  none  equal 

To  the  men  who  wore  the  blue! 

MAJOR  JAMES  F.  RYAN. 

Major  Ryan  was  a  son  of  William  Ryan,  a  native  of  County  Claire, 
Ireland,  who  emigrated  to  Canada  in  1823,  and  in  1826  located  in 
Pottsville,  Pa.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  'brothers,  among  which 
were  numbered  William,  a  Catholic  priest,  and  Stephen  B.,  bishop  of 
the  Catholic  diocese  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

James  F.  Ryan  in  his  early  years  learned  the  trade  'of  a  tinner 
and  located  in  McKeesport  in  that  business  in  1848.  To  this  he 
added  hardware  in  the  year  1853.  In  1853  he  married  Mary,  daugh 
ter  of  Michael  and  Rose  McCluskey,  of  Pittsburgh.  This  marriage 
was  a  most  happy  one  and  to  them  were  born  seven  children:  Martin 
F.,  Katie  and  Margaret,  deceased;  Alice,  Steven  and  William  Ryan, 
and  Rose,  wife  of  Daniel  G.  Donovan. 

When  the  war  of  the  rebellion  broke  out  Major  Ryan  was  one  of 
the  first  who  volunteered  his  services  in  defense  of  the  Union.  He 
recruited  Company  I,  Sixty-third  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers,  which  was  attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  served 
with  distinction  throughout  the  war  from  Chantilly  to  Gettysburg, 
and  from  Gettysburg  to  Appomattox.  He  went  out  with  his  company 
as  its  -captain  and  returned  from  the  war  with  the  rank  of  major. 
Company  I  was  recruited  and  drilled  in  the  old  Alliquippa  hall,  near 
the  foot  of  Market  street.  Afterwards  encamped  for  a  time  at"  Camp 
Wilkins,  near  Pittsburgh.  And  it  was  a  red  letter  day  in  McKees 
port  when  Company  I,/  fully  equipped,  made  a  visit  to  McKeesport 
for  its  final  parade  before  proceeding  to  the  front.  As  a  sample  of 
the  general  esteem  in  which  Major  Ryan  was  held  by  the  citizens 
of  this  community  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  he  was  elected  a  mem 
ber  of  councils  and  of  the  school  board  for  many  terms.  That  he 
was  elected  burgess  of  the  town  on  three  different  occasions  and 
would  have  been  again  elected  for  a  fourth  term  had  he  not  posi 
tively  refused  a  re-election.  He  always  took  an  active  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  McKeesport,  both  civic  and  commercial.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Commercial  Trust  Co.,  which  was  afterwards 
re-organized  as  the  First  National  bank,  and  was  vice-president  of 
that  institution  at  the  time  of  his  death.  In  his  relations  with  his 
fellow  men  Major  Ryan  was  the  soul  of  'business  honor  and  integrity. 
Under  an  apparently  austere  exterior  he  had  a  most  kindly  heart. 


448  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

He  was  rigorous,  but  just.  He  was  a  kind  husband  and  an  indulgent 
father.  He  was  at  all  times  active  and  industrious  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death  had  accumulated  a  goodly  portion  of  this  world's  goods. 
In  religion  he  was  a  Catholic  and  in  politics  a  Democrat,  consistent 
and  persistent  in  both.  No  man  ever  lived  in  the  city  of  McKees- 
port  who  enjoyed  in  a  greater  measure  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  citi 
zens  than  did  Major  Ryan. 

A  tragic  death  brought  the  career  of  this  estimable  man  to  a  close 
in  the  65th  year  of  his  age.  About  4  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of 
April  19th,  1887,  he  was  fatally  injured  in  a  runaway  accident  near 
his  home.  The  news  of  his  sudden  death  was  a  very  severe  shock  to 
the  community.  No  citizen  of  McKeesport  ever  received  greater 
honors  than  did  Major  Ryan  on  the  day  of  his  burial.  All  business 
was  suspended.  The  burial  services  were  conducted  by  his  brother, 
Bishop  Ryan,  of  Buffalo,  and  his  funeral  was  the  largest  ever  seen 
in  the  city  of  McKeesport.  All  classes  turned  out  to  do  him  honor. 

REV.  JAMES  JUNIUS  MARKS,  D.  D. 

Born  near  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  January  10,  1809;  died  at  Laguna 
Beach,  California,  August  10,  1899. 

The  death  August  10,  1899,  of  this  veteran  minister,  author, 
traveler,  lecturer,  philanthropist  and  patriot,  at  the  ripe  age  of  four 
score  years  and  ten,  was  sad  news  to  his  many  friends  in  many 
states  of  the  Union,  but  was  scarcely  unexpected,  as  he  had  outlived 
by  twenty  years  the  ordinary  span  of  human  life. 

Dr.  Marks  was  born  on  the  homestead  farm  on  the  Steubenville 
Pike,  near  Pittsburgh,  three  years  'before  our  second  war  with  Eng 
land,  and  only  twenty-two  years  after  the  adoption  of  the  Ameri 
can  Constitution.  He  had  seen  Lafayette  and  heard  him  speak,  and 
was  contemporary  with  other  great  men  of  the  revolutionary  period 
who  have  long  since  passed  away.  He  was  a  son  of  General  William 
Marks,  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Allegheny  county,  widely  known 
and  influential  in  his  day — a  state  senator  and  speaker  of  the  senate 
in  1821. 

General  Marks  sent  James  Junius  to  the  old  Jefferson  College  at 
Cannonsburg,  Pa.,  where  he  was  graduated  with  honors  in  1830, 
and,  feeling  himself  drawn  to  the  ministry,  he  entered  in  1831  the 
Western  Theological  Seminary  in  Allegheny.  He  began  the  work  of 
the  ministry  as  a  licentiate  in  1834,  and  two  years  later  responded 
to  an  urgent  call  to  enter  on  special  work  at  Marion  College,  Mis 
souri.  He  was  soon  after  called  to  the  church  at  Hannibal,  Mo., 
where,  in  1838,  he  was  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  Palmyra.  In 
1840  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Quincy, 
Illinois,  where  he  labored  with  great  zeal  and  efficiency  for  sixteen 
years.  Stephen  A.  Douglas  was  a  member  of  his  congregation,  and 
during  his  residence  in  Illinois,  Dr.  Marks  made  the  acquaintance 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  afterwards  often  called  upon  'him  at  the 
White  House. 

During  the  last  two  years  of  his  pastorate  at  Quincy,  his  health, 
having  become  impaired  by  his  arduous  labors,  Dr.  Marks  traveled 
extensively  in  England,  Scotland,  France  and  the  Holy  Land.  On  his 
return  he  resigned  his  charge  at  Quincy  and  spent  some  time  in  giv 
ing  a  series  of  interesting  lectures  descriptive  'of  the  scenes  of  his 
travels,  particularly  in  the  Holy  Land. 

At    the    breaking    out    of    the    Civil    War    his    ardent    patriotism 


STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  449 

prompted  him  to  accept  the  chaplaincy  of  the  Twelfth  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  of  the  first  call  for  a  service  of  three 
months.  At  the  close  of  his  term,  on  August  25,  1861,  he  was  com 
missioned  chaplain  of  the  Sixty-third  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers — our  own  beloved  organization — commanded  by  his  warm  per 
sonal  friend,  Colonel  (afterwards  General)  Alexander  Hays.  How 
ever  brilliant  and  useful  was  his  career  in  other  lines,  in  our  opinion 
as  'his  comrades,  it  was  his  service  as  chaplain  that  has  made  him 
best  known  and  given  him  his  most  enduring  fame. 

After  his  resignation  on  account  of  ill  health,  in  December,  1862, 
and  a  period  of  rest  and  recuperation,  he  had  charge  of  churches  in 
Washington,  D.  C.,  Brookville,  Pa.,  and  St.  Louis,  Mo.  In  1876  he 
removed  from  St.  Louis  to  California,  and  had  various  charges  in 
that  state  until  within  about  a  year  before  his  death,  when  he  was 
retired  on  account  of  the  growing  infirmities  of  age,  after  laboring 
for  more  than  sixty  years  with  great  zeal  and  ability  in  the  holy 
calling  he  had  chosen  in  the  spring-tide  of  youth.  His  death  was 
peaceful  and  beautiful. 

"How  beautiful  it  is  for  a  man  to  die 
Upon  the  walls  of  Zion!    To  be  called, 
Like  a  watch-worn  and  weary  sentinel, 
To  put  his  armor  off  and  rest  in  heaven." 

He  is  survived  by  one  son,  James  Marks,  Jr.,  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 
and  one  daughter,  Miss  Sarah  E.  Marks,  of  Santa  Monica,  California, 
who  was  a  ministering  angel  of  comfort  to  her  father  in  his  last 
years.  His  wife,  who  had  been  his  beloved  companion  for  sixty-one 
years,  was  called  from  him  in  February,  1896.  Of  her,  in  a  letter  to 
a  friend,  written  soon  after  her  death,  he  touchingly  said,  "I  grope 
in  the  dark  for  the  touch  of  a  hand  I  never  reach,  and  listen  for  a 
voice  I  never  hear,  but  I  know  the  spiritual  world  is  very  near,  and 
it  may  be  she  is  even  now  ministering  to  me.  She  dwelt  for  years 
much  of  her  time  at  the  gate  of  heaven  ,and  our  Lord  gave  some 
rays  of  His  divine  beauty  "to  her  face,  and  I  see  her  hand  beckoning 
to  me."  In  a  little  over  three  years  the  beckoning  hand  was  ans 
wered,  and  the  bonds  that  were  broken  by  death  were  reunited,  to  be 
separated  no  more. 

In  1864  Dr.  Marks  wrote  and  published  a  graphic  History  of  the 
Peninsular  Campaign  in  Virginia,  and  late  in  life  he  wrote  and  pub 
lished  "Dr.  Nelson  and  His  Times,"  a  'book  of  interest  more  especially 
to  the  student  of  ecclesiastical  history  in  this  country.  His  style, 
both  as  a  speaker  and  writer,  was  lucid  and  forcible,  and  his  diction 
smooth  and  elegant.  His  powers  of  description  could  hardly  be 
excelled. 

Gentleness  and  dignity  of  manner  were  among  his  striking  char 
acteristics,  and  they  were  not  artificial,  but  were  born  of  an  innate 
love  of  and  respect  for  his  fell'owmen. 

As  already  indicated,  it  was  in  the  performance  of  his  duties  as  an 
army  chaplain  that  the  nobleness  and  gentleness  of  his  character 
and  his  self-sacrificing  love  for  his  fellowman,  were  brought  out  in 
all  their  fullness  and  beauty.  Deeply  loyal  to  the  flag,  he  was  not 
in  the  military  service  for  lucre  or  glory,  but  as  a  minister  of  religion 
to  win  souls  to  Christ,  and  as  a  friend  of  humanity  to  administer  to 
the  sick  and  wounded  in  field  and  camp  and  hospital.  When  our 
army  made  its  change  of  base  from  the  York  to  the  James  River  in 


450  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

the  summer  of  1862,  many  of  the  sick  and  wounded  in  the  diviison 
hospitals,  being  unable  to  be  moved  to  the  hospital  boats,  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemy  and  were  taken  to  Richmond  as  prisoners  of 
war.  Dr.  Marks  had  been  for  some  time  most  devoted  in  ministering 
to  them,  before  their  capture,  and  rather  than  abandon  them  to  the 
tender  mercies  of  their  captors,  he  willingly  shared  their  imprison 
ment  and  continued  there  his  noble  and  untiring  efforts  for  their 
spiritual  well  'being,  and  their  physical  comfort  too,  as  far  as  it  was 
in  his  power  to  do  so. 

Dr.  John  Swinburne,  an  eminent  volunteer  surgeon  from  Albany, 
New  York,  who  frequently  came  in  contact  with  Dr.  Marks  in  the 
hospitals,  where  he  found  him  indefatigable  in  his  errands  of  mercy, 
in  his  introduction  to  Dr.  Marks'  History  of  the  Peninsular  Cam 
paign,  says  of  him: 

"Even  before  we  had  encountered  half  the  harrowing  scenes 
through  which  a  Divine  Providence  guided  us  each  in  safety,  I 
learned  to  look  up  to  him  and  love  him  for  himself.  A  more  useful 
man  was  not  connected  with  the  army  at  that  time.  No  man  came 
within  the  sphere  of  his  duties  who  was  not  most  favorably  impressed 
by  his  presence,  and  the  thousands  of  soldiers  now  living,  who,  from 
time  to  time,  during  those  days  of  blood,  were  the  recipients  of  his 
goodly  counsels  and  most  kind  attentions,  will,  in  after  years,  when 
the  name  of  Dr.  Marks  is  mentioned,  rise  up  and  call  him  blessed." 

We,  too,  his  comrades  of  the  gallant  Sixty-third,  learned  "to  love 
him  for  himself,"  and  can  attest  that  Dr.  Swinburne's  prediction  has 
been  verified  and  will  continue  to  be  so,  as  long  as  any  of  us  sur 
vive.  We  shall  ever  revere  his  memory.  Full  of  years  and  of  honors, 
and  rich  in  the  goodness  of  his  heart  and  the  love  and  admiration 
of  so  many  to  whom  he  was  a  benefactor  and  bright  exemplar,  his 
grand  and  gentle  spirit  breathed  itself  away  peacefully  on  the  shores 
of  the  Pacific,  like  a  mild  autumn  sun  setting  in  the  golden  west, 
leaving  behind  him  the  sweet  aroma  of  a  life  well  spent. 

"Now,  now  we  measure  at  its  worth, 
His  gracious  presence  gone  forever." 

But  the  benediction  'of  'his  good  deeds,  in  their  ministry  of  hope 
and  love,  remain.  Yes,  thousands,  when  they  hear  his  name  men 
tioned,  will  still  "rise  up  and  call  him  blessed." 

Knowing  and  loving  him  as  we  did,  and  grieving  for  his  departure 
as  we  must,  may  we  not  fitly  say  to  him  in  bidding  him  farewell, — 

"Sleep  thou,  at  length,  the  all  embracing  sleep; 
Long  was  thy  sowing  day;  rest  now  and  reap." 


MAJOR  BERNARD  J.  REID. 

Major  Reid  was  'born  at  Youngstown,  Westmoreland  county,  Penn 
sylvania,  April  24,  1823,  his  parents  being  Meredith  and  Eleanor 
(Hanlon)  Reid.  His  father  was  a  pioneer  teacher  and  surveyor,  and 
from  him  he  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  mathematics  and 
civil  engineering.  He  was  educated  in  the  subscription  and  common 
schools  of  the  vicinity  and  at  St.  James's  Academy,  Brown  county, 
Ohio,  which  was  founded  by  his  uncle,  Rev.  James  Reid. 

At  the  age  of  16,  Major  Reid  taught  the  district  school  at  Pleas 
ant  Unity,  in  his  native  county,  being  succeeded  in  that  position  by 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  451 

John  W.  Geary,  afterward  governor  of  Pennsylvania.  When  he  was 
17  years  old  he  came  to  Pittsburgh,  walking  here  from  his  home, 
and  procured  employment  as  clerk  in  a  Market  street  dry  goods  store. 
An  opportunity  presenting  soon  after,  he  taught  the  Dunlevy  school, 
Chartiers  township,  and  afterward  a  term  of  select  school  in  the  old 
Niagara  engine  house.  At  the  age  of  19  he  removed  to  the  new 
and  growing  town  of  Clarion,  Pa.,  where,  in  1842,  he  organized 
and  taught  a  select  school  in  the  academy. 

In  connection  with  his  brother,  John  C.  Reid,  Major  Reid,  about 
1843,  founded  and  was  the  editor  of  the  Iron  County  Democrat,  but 
soon  after  disposed  of  the  paper  and'turned  his  attention  to  civil 
engineering,  being  for  several  years  thereafter  engaged  in  surveying 
and  mapping  the  then  wild  lands  of  Clarion  and  adjoining  counties. 
He  was  elected  county  surveyor  in  1845,  this  being  the  only  civil 
office  he  ever  held. 

Major  Reid  began  the  study  of  law  about  this  time,  but  in  1847 
suspended  his  studies  to  accept  an  important  clerkship  in  the  office 
of  the  United  States  Surveyor  General  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  his  duty 
being  to  inspect  the  reports  of  all  the  surveyors  in  that  district 
engaged  in  the  field.  He  remained  in  St.  Louis  until  May,  1849, 
when  he  joined  in  the  rush  to  the  California  gold  fields,  leaving 
Independence,  Mo.,  May  9,  in  a  wagon  train  that  was  scheduled 
to  reach  the  mines  in  sixty  days,  but  being  actually  en  route  one 
hundred  and  twenty  days,  owing  to  cholera,  scurvy  and  other  dis 
eases  that  weakened  and  delayed  the  party. 

Mining,  trading  and  other  occupations  engaged  Major  Reid  in 
California  until  1851,  at  which  time  he  'became  professor  of  English 
and  mathematics  in  Santa  Clara  College,  then  founded  upon  the 
ruins  of  the  old  mission  of  that  name  near  San  Jose.  In  1852  he 
returned  to  the  "States"  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  resumed 
his  law  studies  with  Robert  and  Thomas  Sutton,  at  Clarion,  where 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  December  9,  1853,  since  which  date,  to 
within  a  few  days  of  his  last  illness,  he  was  engaged  in  active 
practice  with  undiminished  powers.  After  his  admission  he  at  once 
took  a  leading  place  at  the  bar  and  for  more  than  fifty  years  was 
engaged  in  nearly  all  the  important  litigation  of  Clarion  county  and 
in  much  of  that  in  the  adjoining  counties  of  Jefferson,  Forest  and 
Venango. 

Major  Reid  was  married  February  21,  1854,  to  Letitia  M.  Farran, 
daughter  of  John  Farran,  a  merchant  of  Pittsburgh,  his  wife  being 
a  sister  of  Rev.  John  C.  Farran,  pastor  of  St.  Columbia's  church, 
Johnstown,  Pa.  His  wife  died  September  30,  1902. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  Major  Reid  recruited  Com 
pany  F,  Sixty-third  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  commanded 
by  Colonel  Alexander  Hays,  and  was  commissioned  captain,  taking 
part  in  McClellan's  campaign  in  the  Peninsula  and  participating 
until  August,  1862,  in  all  the  engagements  of  the  regiment,  includ 
ing  the  Seven  Days'  battles  about  Richmond,  in  one  of  which  he 
commanded  the  regiment  during  the  temporary  disability  of  the 
colonel.  The  preservation  of  an  important  trust  estate  committed  to 
his  care  compelled  him  to  resign  his  commission,  August  1,  1862, 
but  in  July,  1863,  during  the  invasion  of  Pennsylvania,  he  recruited 
Company  D,  Fifty-seventh  Pennsylvania  Militia,  of  which  he  was 
commissioned  captain,  and  was  soon  thereafter  promoted  to  major. 
He  served  with  this  regiment  in  the  pursuit  of  Morgan  in  West 
Virginia  and  Ohio,  and  until  the  organization  was  mustered  out. 


452  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

In  1865  Major  Reid  formed  a  law  partnership  with  J.  H.  Patrick, 
which  continued  under  the  name  of  Reid  &  Patrick  until  1870. 
In  1871  he  removed  to  Titusville,  Pa.,  where  he  associated  himself 
with  Joseph  A.  Neill,  and  the  firm  of  Reid  &  Neill  will  be  remem 
bered  'by  the  oil  men  of  that  period  as  a  leading  one  in  the  import 
ant  litigation  of  Crawford  county.  Disappointed  in  his  expectations 
that  Titusville  would  become  a  county  seat  he  removed  in  1874  to 
Erie,  Pa.,  where  he  practiced,  besides  attending  the  courts  of  Craw 
ford,  Clarion  and  Forest  counties,  until  1877. 

At  this  time,  Clarion  county  having  become  the  principal  oil- 
producing  field,  Major  Reid  returned  to  Clarion  and  resided  there 
until  1900.  After  the  admission  to  the  'bar  of  his  son,  A.  B.  Reid, 
the  firm  of  B.  J.  &  A.  B.  Reid  was  formed,  continuing  until  the 
removal  of  the  latter  to  Pittsburgh  in  1890,  when  F.  J.  Maffett 
became  his  partner,  the  firm  of  Reid  &  Maffett  thus  formed  being  con 
tinued  until  very  recently.  In  1900  his  children  having  left  Clarion, 
he,  with  his  wife,  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he  had  since  been 
engaged  in  practice,  having  been  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Allegheny 
county  December  15,  1900.  He  was  associated  with  the  firm  of 
Watterson  &  Reid.  He  established  early  reputation  at  the  bar 
through  his  defense  of  Charles  Logue,  the  first  person  tried  for 
murder  in  Clarion  county,  and  whose  conviction  of  murder  in  the 
first  degree  he  reversed  in  the  Supreme  Court.  He  was  the  leading 
local  counsel  for  the  defense  in  the  celebrated  prosecution  of  the 
officers  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company  for  conspiracy  in  Clarion  county 
in  1879,  in  which  he  was  associated  with  D.  T.  Watson,  Lewis  C. 
Cassiday  and  S.  C.  T.  Dodd.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  before  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  in  1875. 

Major  Reid  was  a  past  commander  of  John  B.  Doomis  Post,  No. 
205,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Clarion,  and  was  judge  advocate  of  the  department 
of  Pennsylvania.  In  1901  he  transferred  his  G.  A.  R.  membership  to 
McPherson  Post  No.  117,  of  Pittsburgh.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  the  Society  of  California 
Pioneers  and  the  Western  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society,  in  all  of 
which  he  took  an  active  interest.  He  was  active  in  religious,  edu 
cational  and  charitable  work.  He  had,  in  addition  to  his  knowledge 
of  classical  languages,  a  good  command  of  German,  French  and 
Spanish. 

Major  Reid  was  a  consistent  and  devout  Roman  Catholic,  a  'pioneer 
in  the  establishment  and  support  of  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception  at  Clarion.  In  Pittsburgh,  before  the  demolition  of  St. 
Paul's  cathedral,  he  was  a  member  of  that  parish,  but  since  then 
attended  the  Church  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  East  End. 

Full  of  years  and  honors,  mourned  by  a  host  of  friends,  beloved  and 
admired  by  his  comrades-in-arms,  Major  Reid  passed  into  the  life 
eternal  at  Mercy  Hospital,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  on  Tuesday,  November 
15,  1904,  and  was  buried  in  Cavalry  cemetery,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

CAPTAIN  ROBERT  HOWARD  MILLAR. 

Died  in  the  city  of  Pittsburgh  on  the  1st  day  of  February,  A.  D. 
1899,  Robert  Howard  Millar,  late  captain  of  Company  E,  Sixty-third 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  in  the  62nd  year  of  his  age. 

He  was  born  near  Glenshaw,  (then  called  Shawtown),  in  Shaler 
township,  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  March  16,  1837,  on  the 
family  homestead  farm,  which  had  been  patented  to  his  grand- 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  453 

father,  Robert  Millar,  in  1817.  His  father  was  John  Millar,  and 
his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Rosanna  McCauley. 

When  the  war  of  the  rebellion  broke  out  he  was  engaged  in  teach 
ing  school,  but  his  patriotic  spirit  impelled  him  to  give  up  his  peace 
ful  calling  to  enter  the  service  of  his  country,  where  stout  arms  and 
brave  hearts  were  sorely  needed  to  defend  the  Union  and  the  flag  of 
our  fathers.  He  enlisted  in  Colonel  Banks'  Company  E,  of  the  Sixty- 
third  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  commanded  by  that  bril 
liant  soldier,  Colonel  (afterwards  General)  Alexander  Hays.  On  the 
organization  of  his  company  he  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant, 
and  was  afterwards  promoted  to  captain.  He  served  faithfully, 
as  a  gallant  soldier  and  efficient  officer,  always  "beloved  and  respected 
by  his  men,  and  winning  the  commendation  of  his  superior  officers. 
He  was  wounded  at  the  siege  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  and  received  honor 
able  mention  from  President  Lincoln  for  gallantry. 

Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  put  in  the  transcribing 
room  in  the  office  of  the  recorder  of  deeds  in  Allegheny  county,  and 
held  that  responsible  position  until  his  death. 

In  1869  he  was  married  to  Miss  Richmond  Hagan,  of  Pittsburgh, 
who  died  in  1891,  leaving  no  children.  His  only  brother,  Cornelius 
Wilson  Millar,  was  killed  in  battle  at  the  age  of  19  years. 

From  the  organization  of  the  Regimental  Association  of  the  Sixty- 
third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers  until  his  death,  Captain  Millar  was 
its  secretary,  and  faithfully  and  lovingly  performed  the  duties  of 
that  office.  He  joined  Encampment  No.  1,  Union  Veteran  Legion,  of 
Pittsburgh,  soon  after  its  organization,  and  was  an  honored  comrade 
of  Abe  Patterson  Post  No.  88,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Allegheny.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Fourth  Presbyterian  church  of  Pittsburgh,  and  took 
an  interest  in  all  church  work.  His  remains  were  interred  in 
Greenwood  cemetery,  near  the  family  homestead. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  find  many  men  of  his  generation  with  more 
excellent  and  amiable  qualities  than  were  possessed  by  our  deceased 
comrade.  He  was  truly  a  noble  character, — intellectual,  brave, 
honest,  truthful,  generous,  genial  and  affectionate, — a  chivalrous 
soldier,  a  faithful  friend,  a  good  citizen  and  a  pure,  upright  man. 
Few  officers  in  camp  or  field  were  more  beloved  by  their  men  than 
was  Captain  Millar,  and  few  men  in  civil  life  commanded  more  sin 
cere  regard. 


THE  CITY  GUARDS. 

About  one  year  previous  to  the  presidential  election  of  1860, 
James  H.  Childs,  of  Pittsburgh,  proposed  to  his  friends  that  they 
form  a  military  company.  When  asked  why  he  didn't  join  the  old 
Duquesne  Grays,  a  prominent  organization  then  existing  in  the  city, 
he  replied:  "Oh,  no,  let  us  get  up  a  new  company  composed  of  our 
own  personal  friends."  At  his  solicitation  a  sufficient  number  of 
prominent  young  men  were  secured,  and  the  company  organized 
with  Captain  T.  B.  Brereton,  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  as  captain. 
Maurice  Wallace,  who  had  also  served  in  the  United  States  Army, 
was  engaged  as  drill  master.  Drilling  was  carried  on  without  public 
demonstration  for  some  months,  when  the  Civil  War  began,  with 
President  Lincoln's  call  for  volunteers  for  three  months'"  service. 

Captain  Brereton  decided  that  he  would  not  enter  the  service,  and 
as  the  company  decided  they  had  played  soldier  long  enough  they 
would  tender  their  company,  and  offered  the  command  to  Alexander 
Hays,  then  a  resident  of  the  city.  As  soon  as  it  was  known  that 
Captain  Hays  was  in  command  the  company  was  rapidly  filled  and 
organized  with  the  following  officers: 

Alexander  Hays,  captain;  James  H.  Childs,  first  lieutenant;  A.  S. 
M.  Morgan,  second  lieutenant.  The  company  was  accepted,  and  was 
mustered  in  as  Company  K  of  the  Twelfth  Regiment,  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers,  under  Colonel  David  Campbell.  Captain  Hays  was  made 
major,  which  necessitated  the  selection  of  another  captain,  and 
Childs  proposed  the  name  of  W.  C.  Denny,  who  had  previously  been 
appointed  first  lieutenant,  as  one  having  more  age  and  experience 
than  himself.  This  was  done,  and  on  entering  the  Twelfth  Regiment 
the  company  was  made  up  of  the  following  officers:  Captain,  W. 
C.  Denny;  first  lieutenant,  James  H.  Childs;  second  lieutenant,  A. 
S.  M.  Morgan;  first  sergeant,  Benjamin  Bakewell;  second  sergeant, 
Charles  W.  Chapman;  third  sergeant,  John  O.  Phillips;  fourth  ser 
geant,  A.  B.  Bonnifon. 

TWELFTH   REGIMENT,  PENNSYLVANIA  VOLUN 
TEERS. 

A  number  of  men  who  enlisted  in  the  Twelfth  Regiment,  Pennsyl 
vania  Volunteers,  for  three  months'  service,  were  mustered  in  April 
25,  1861,  and  served  out  their  term  of  service,  on  their  return  home 
re-enlisted  in  the  Sixty-third  as  original  members.  Among  these 
were  the  following,  whose  rank  given  is  that  held  in  the  Twelfth: 

Major — Alexander  Hays. 
Chaplain — J.  J.  Marks. 

COMPANY   B— "DUQUESNE    GRAYS." 
William  R.  Nicholson. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  455 

COMPANY  C — "FIREMEN'S  LEGION." 

First  Sergeant — William  Thompson. 

Fourth  Sergeant — James  Fowler. 

Musician — Edward  T.  Saint. 

Privates — William  J.  Draher,  Thomas  Glass,  John  Harvey,  George 
J.  Hall,  John  Kirkpatrick,  Robert  McAdams,  Alexander  McConkey, 
William  J.  McElroy,  William  J.  Robinson,  William  H.  Worden. 

COMPANY  I. 

First  Lieutenant — Henry  Ormsby. 
Privates — William  W.  Peters,  Samuel  P.  Gamble. 

COMPANY  K— "CITY  GUARDS." 
Second  Lieutenant — A.  S.  M.  Morgan. 
Second  Sergeant — Charles  W.  Chapman. 
Fourth  Corporal — George  P.  Corts. 

Privates — Theodore  Bagley,  George  B.  Chalmers,  James  Creigh- 
ton,  William  H.  Dyer,  Edward  Kelly,  James  B.  Kiddoo,  John  Lafever, 
Robert  G.  Mowry,  Augustus  J.  Moots,  Robert  Stanford. 

The  Twelfth  Regiment  was  recruited  and  organized  at  Pittsburgh, 
under  the  supervision  of  Brigadier  General  James  S.  Negley.  The 
Duquesne  Grays  and  the  Independent  Blues,  the  oldest  and  among 
the  best  drilled  companies  in  the  city,  many  of  whose  members  were 
veterans  of  the  Mexican  war,  formed  the  basis  of  the  organization. 
The  Zouave  Cadets,  a  company  composed  of  young  men,  was  formed 
at  Pittsburgh  in  1860,  during  the  prevalence  of  the  military  furore, 
occasioned  by  the  visit  of  the  Chicago  Zouaves,  under  Captain  Ells 
worth.  The  City  Guards  had  been  but  a  short  time  organized,  and 
had  never  made  their  appearance  on  public  parade.  The  remaining 
companies  were  formed  de  novo.  An  election  of  field  officers  was 
held  on  the  22nd  of  April,  which  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  fol 
lowing:  David  Campbell,  of  Pittsburgh,  colonel;  Norton  McGiflin, 
of  Washington,  lieutenant  colonel;  Alexander  Hays,  of  Pittsburgh, 
major.  Daniel  Leasure,  from  captain  of  Company  H,  was  appointed 
adjutant,  and  subsequently  also  acted  as  adjutant  general  to  General 
Negley. 

The  regiment  left  Pittsburgh  on  the  24th  of  April,  and  arrived 
in  Harrisburg  on  the  25th,  where  it  was  quartered  in  churches,  and  in 
the  Capitol.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  the  Twelfth,  together 
with  the  Thirteenth,  was  reviewed  in  the  public  grounds  by  Governor 
Curtin,  and  .was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States. 
Immediately  afterwards,  the  Twelfth  departed  by  the  Northern  Cen 
tral  Railroad  for  Camp  Scott,  near  the  town  of  York.  Here  it 
remained  for  several  weeks,  engaged  in  drill.  The  camp  was  not 
a  comfortable  one,  being  at  this  season  'of  the  year,  a  field  of  mud. 
The  men  soon  became  impatient  for  active  service.  On  the  19th  of 
May  the  regiment  was  clothed,  equipped,  and  furnished  with  camp 
equipage. 

The  bridges  on  the  Northern  Central  Railroad,  which  were 
destroyed  immediately  after  its  abandonment,  had  been  re-built  and 
trains  commenced  running  regularly  between  Harrisburg  and  Balti 
more,  on  the  9th  of  May.  On  the  25th,  the  regiment  was  ordered  to 
move  and  take  position  on  this  road,  from  the  State  line  to  the  city 
of  Baltimore,  relieving  the  First  Pennsylvania,  Colonel  Yohe.  The 
order  was  hailed  with  delight,  opening  to  the  men  a  prospect  of 
activity.  It  was  posted  along  the  road,  with  headquarters  at 


456  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

Cockeysville,  where  two  companies,  I  and  K,  were  stationed.  The 
guard  duty  was  very  heavy,  and  soon  became  irksome,  but  not 
attempt  by  force  or  stealth,  was  ever  made  to  interfere  with  the  line. 
The  companies  were  so  much  scattered  that  no  opportunity  was 
afforded  for  regimental  drill  after  leaving  Camp  Scott.  The  two 
companies  at  Cockeysville  were,  however,  regularly  and  thoroughly 
instructed,  and  soon  acquired  the  proficiency  of  veterans.  In  the 
manual  they  were  daily  exercised  by  Sergeant  Major  Bonnafon,  an 
experienced  soldier,  and  in  the  school  of  the  company  by  their  offi 
cers.  The  men  were  impatient  to  be  with  the  advancing  column, 
but  were  obliged  to  remain  to  the  end  of  their  term  of  enlistment 
in  this  position. 

The  service  rendered  by  this  regiment  was  devoid  of  Stirring  inci 
dent,  but  was,  nevertheless,  exceedingly  laborious,  was  faithfully  per 
formed,  and  was  of  great  moment  to  the  government.  The  highest 
expectations  were  entertained  of  its  heroic  conduct  in  the  lace  of  the 
enemy;  but  no  enemy  was  seen,  and  no  occasion  presented  for  the 
firing  of  a  'gun.  It  was  a  noiseless  and  inglorious  campaign,  but  a 
highly  useful  one,  for  not  only  was  an  important  and  vital  line  of 
communication  with  the  National  Capitol  preserved  and  protected, 
'but  a  fine  bo'dy  of  men  was  thoroughly  drilled  and  perfected  in  the 
school  of  arms,  and  many,  who  here  received  their  first  instruction, 
afterwards  led  with  great  skill  in,  the  most  deadly  encounters.  The 
•field  officers  had  all  received  a  military  training.  The  regiment  was 
mustered  out  of  service  at  Harrisburg  August  5,  1861. 


REGIMENTAL  REUNIONS. 

At  the  first  reunion  of  the  regiment,  held  in  the  armory  of  the 
Fourteenth  Regiment,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  October  24,  1879,  a  perman 
ent  organization  of  the  surviving  members  was  effected,  under  the 
title  of  the  'Sixty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers'  Regimental  Asso 
ciation,"  a  banquet  being  held  the  same  evening  at  the  Seventh 
Avenue  Hotel.  Other  reunions  were  held  as  follows: 

New  Brighton,  Pa.,  September  1,  1881. 

Lafayette  Hall,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  October  2,  1882,  jointly  with  the 
One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment. 

Gettysburg  battlefield,  July  2,  1886. 

Gettysburg  battlefield,  September  11,  1889,  on  dedication  of  the 
Sixty-third  Regiment  monument. 

Sewickley,  Pa.  (Company  D  only)  September  17,  1890. 

Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  Union  Veteran  Legion  Hall,  1894,  G.  A.  R. 
encampment. 

Clarion,  Pa.,  July  30,  1895,  jointly  with  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fifth  Regiment. 

Shields,  Pa.,  September  22,  1896. 

Shields,  Pa.,  August  29,  1898. 

Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  October  10,  1899,  in  Union  Veteran  Legion  Hall. 

Sewickley,  Pa.,  September  21,  1900,  in  Edgeworth  club  house. 

Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  May  30,  1901,  dedication  of  monument  to  General 
Hays  in  Allegheny  cemetery,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Sewickley,  Pa.,  September  27,  1901,  Edgeworth  club  house. 

Sewickley,  Pa.,  September  18,  1902,  Edgeworth  club  house. 

Pittsburgh,  Pa.,   (Carrick)   September  27,  1906,  Point  View  Hotel. 

Pittsburgh,  Pa.,   (Carrick)   August  29,  1907,  Point  View  Hotel. 

ADDRESS  BY   MAJOR  B.   J.   REID. 

To  the  Survivors  of  the  Sixty-third  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volun 
teers,  at  the  First  Reunion  Banquet,  Seventh  Avenue  Hotel, 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  October  25,  1879: 

The  duty  your  committee  has  allotted  to  me  is  not  an  esay  one, — 
that  of  making,  in  a  few  words,  a  suitable  response  to  the  toast  just 
announced.  True,  the  theme  is  an  inspiring  one,  but  it  is  at  the  same 
time  so  fruitful,  so  expansive,  that  it  is  hard  to  crowd  into  a  few 
minutes  what  a  whole  evening  would  not  be  sufficient  for.  The  his 
tory  of  Kearney's  division  would  be  a  history  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac;  and  the  difficulty  I  feel  is  not  so  much  in  determining  what 
to  say,  as  to  leave  unsaid. 

Kearney's  division!  The  "Red  Patch"  division!  The  grand  old 
fighting  division!  led  by  the  chivalrous  and  accomplished  soldier 
whose  presence  on  the  battlefield  was  an  inspiration  of  heroism 
among  his  followers,  and  whose  very  name  was  a  talisman  and  a 
watchword  amid  the  din  of  conflict.  Is  there  any  need  of  telling  to 
this  audience  of  veterans  the  story  of  its  deeds?  No,  comrades  of 


458  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

the  Sixty-third,  not  one  of  you  but  know  that  story  as  well  as  I  do, 
and  even  better,  for  most  of  you  served  longer  in  the  division  than 
I  did.  But  though  you  know  the  story  well,  and  are  not  likely  to 
forget  it  while  life  lasts,  it  is  fit  and  proper,  as  well  as  pleasant,  on 
occasions  like  this,  to  call  up  reminiscences  of  the  old  division,  and 
the  glorious  'part  it  took  in  the  campaigns  of  the  Potomac  Army. 

During  the  first  fall  and  winter,  in  front  of  Washington,  under 
Heintzelman,  its  first  commander,  by  constant  drilling  and  discipline, 
frequent  picket  duty,  and  by  occasional  forced  marches  to  re-connoiter 
the  enemy,  the  officers  and  men  of  the  division  were  fitted  for  the 
severer  work  that  was  to  follow.  And  in  that  preparatory  training, 
so  valuable  in  its  results,  our  own  regimental  commander,  the 
veteran  Hays,  rich  in  the  honors  and  experience  of  an  older  war, 
and  ably  seconded  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Morgan,  took  care  that  the 
Sixty-third  should  not  fall  behind  any  regiment  of  the  division  in 
martial  bearing,  powers  of  endurance,  or  proficiency  in  every  soldiery 
quality. 

That,  however,  was  only  playing  soldier.  But  when  spring  came 
and  the  scene  was  shifted  to  the  Peninsula,  soldiering  in  earnest 
began.  When  we  embarked  for  Fortress  Monroe  we  left  all  dress 
parade  behind  us — all  but  one.  You  will  all  readily  recall  that  one — 
the  last  dress  parade  of  the  war.  On  Saturday  afternoon,  the  fifth 
day  of  April,  after  a  muddy  march  of  a  day  and  a  half,  the  division, 
then  commanded  by  General  Hamilton,  arrived  before  Yorktown  with 
the  rest  of  the  army.  We  stacked  arms  in  plain  sight  of  the  rebel 
fortifications  and  waited  patiently  an  hour  or  two,  probably  for  the 
rebels  to  come  and  invite  us  in  out  of  the  wet,  but  they  did  not  come, 
and  we  pitched  our  shelter  tents  in  the  open  fields,  -within  about  a 
mile  of  the  principal  fort.  Some  of  our  batteries  began  their  target 
practice  to  get  range,  and  the  rebels  answered  back  in  kind,  but 
tired,  both  took  their  coffee  and  crackers,  crept  into  their  little  beds, 
and  slept  soundly  'to  the  lullaby  of  shot  and  shell. 

The  next  morning  the  clouds  had  'broken  away,  the  air  was  delight 
ful,  and  all  nature  was  radiant  with  sunshine  and  bright  verdure. 
The  guns  on  both  sides  were  silent,  keeping  truce  on  God's  holy  Sab 
bath.  Nothing  but  an  occasional  bugle  call  interrupted  the  song  of 
birds  throughout  the  day.  And  when  the  sun  was  setting  in  peaceful 
splendor,  Colonel  Hays  ordered  out  the  regiment  for  dress  parade. 
Promptly  the  line  was  formed,  and  our  excellent  brass  band  played 
successively  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner"  and  "Yankee  Doodle."  The 
whole  regulation  ceremonial  was  carried  through.  With  a  wave  of 
the  colonel's  hand  the  parade  was  dismissed,  and  all  was  over.  No, 
not  quite  all.  For  the  rebels  who  had  been  watching  the  perform 
ance,  were  struck  with  its  cool  audacity,  and  thought  it  deserved 
some  recognition.  Presently  a  white  puff  went  up  from  an  angle  of 
the  fort,  a  loud  report  followed,  and  whizz!  came  a  large  conical 
shell  directly  over  us  and  fell  crashing  among  the  timber  half  a  mile 
beyond  our  camp.  The  compliment  was  a  handsome  one,  and  hand 
somely  was  it  earned.  The  honors  were  then  easy,  and  we  had  no 
more  dress  parades. 

The  third  day  afterwards  our  regiment  had  its  first  baptism  of 
musketry  fire  on  a  recogin  in  which  Sergeant  Irwin  of  my  com 
pany  was  killed.  The  same  day  our  camps  were  moved  back  a  mile 
in  the  swampy  woods,  to  get  out  of  range,  but  even  then  the  enemy's 
shells  frequently  reached  us  or  fell  beyond  us.  It  was  here  that  Gen 
eral  Kearney  was  placed  in  command  of  our  division.  For  nearly  four 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  459 

weeks  we  lay  in  that  pestilential  swamp,  doing  our  share  of  picket 
skirmishing,  trench  digging,  redou'bt  building,  and  road  making,  for 
the  heavy  siege  guns  that  were  to  blow  Yorktown  and  its  fortifica 
tions  into  York  river.  That  terrible  halt  was  harder  on  the  army 
than  twenty  battles,  for  during  it  our  effective  force  was  cut  down 
one-half  by  disease  and  death. 

At  last,  all  was  about  ready,  and  the  grandest  bombardment  of 
modern  times  was  to  begin  at  an  appointed  hour.  To  complete  the 
preparations,  some  regiments  had  been  ordered,  on  Friday  night,  the 
2nd  of  May,  to  advance  to  a  point  previously  selected  by  field-glass 
observation,  on  the  crest  of  a  low  ridge  within  500  yards  of  the  prin 
cipal  rebel  fort,  and  dig  a  rifle  pit  for  some  of  our  sharpshooters  to 
occupy  so  as  to  silence  the  enemy's  heaviest  guns  when  the  'bom 
bardment  would  open.  The  regiment  selected,  attempted  it,  and  were 
driven  off.  On  Saturday,  the  3rd,  General  Jameson  was  general  of 
the  trenches,  and  was  charged  with  the  duty  of  digging  the  pits  and 
placing  the  sharpshooters  that  night,  as  the  bombardment  was  to 
begin  the  next  day.  The  general  chose  the  Sixty-third  for  the  work. 
When  the  moon  went  down  at  midnight  he  sent  the  right  wing  under 
Major  Wallace  on  some  duty  toward  the  right,  and  led  the  left  wing 
in  person,  under  Lieutenant  Colonel  Morgan,  to  the  spot  selected. 
Three  companies  were  left  a  little  below,  as  a  reserve,  and  Companies 
B  and  F  were  taken  to  the  crest.  In  whispered  orders  I  was  directed 
to  deploy  twenty  picked  men  of  my  company,  push  forward  a  hundred 
paces  beyond  the  crest,  and  hold  the  ground  while  Company  B  noise 
lessly  dug  the  pits  in  the  sandy  soil.  When,  as  we  started  forward, 
General  Jameson  was  heard  to  say  in  a  hoarse  whisper,  "My  God,  it 
is  hard,  but  it  must  be  done,"  so  certain  was  he  that  we  would  have 
bloody  work  before  we  got  through.  Meanwhile,  and  all  through 
the  night,  the  rebel  guns  were  sweeping  the  horizon  in  our  direction 
with  the  fiercest  cannonading  of  the  whole  siege.  When  we  lay  in 
our  advanced  position  we  could  distinctly  hear  the  words  of  command 
given  the  gunners.  To  add  to  the  grandeur  of  the  scene  our  gun 
boats  below  the  town  were  throwing  heavy  shells  over  us  into  the 
re'bel  works,  which  was  probably  intended  by  the  commanding  gen 
eral  as  a  diversion.  When  the  pits  were  completed  and  disguised 
with  cedar  branches,  we  all  silently  withdrew,  except  the  twelve 
doomed  marksmen,  who  were  supplied  with  water,  food  and  ammuni 
tion,  as  a  forlorn  hope,  and  left  to  their  fate.  General  Jameson's  joy 
was  unbounded  in  so  successfully  accomplishing  the  important  and 
perilous  task,  and  we  all  began  to  feel  like  heroes  for  our  part  in 
what  was  to  contribute  so  largely  to  the  reduction  of  the  re'bel  strong 
hold,  and  to  the  surrender  of  the  rebel  army  on  the  same  historic 
field.  On  reaching  camp  we  turned  in  to  sleep,  and  dream  of  medals 
and  promotions.  Imagine  our  disgust  on  hearing  at  daylight  that  the 
whole  rebel  army  had  withdrawn  during  the  night,  and  that  all  the 
cannonading  was  the  work  of  a  half  a  dozen  men  who  remained 
behind  till  daybreak  to  make  as  fierce  a  showing  as  possible  for  a 
blind.  Sic  transit  gloria.  I  never  heard  what  became  of  the  sharp 
shooters  we  left  in  the  pits,  but  I  have  an  idea  they  are  not  there 
yet. 

How  the  division  'behaved  at  Williamsburg  and  Fair  Oaks  is  a 
matter  of  history.  I  will  only  say  that  though  it  gets  credit,  as  a 
division  for  its  splendid  fight  at  Fair  Oaks,  no  historic  account  or 
official  report  that  I  have  seen  does  justice  to  our  regiment  for  its 
part  in  that  battle.  General  Heintzelman's  official  report  gives  credit 


460  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

to  Berry's  'brigade  alone,  for  holding  the  most  advanced  line  on  the 
left  against  great  odds  till  night  closed  the  scene,  an  honor  that 
really  belongs  to  eight  companies  of  the  Sixty-third,  and  a  portion 
of  the  Third  and  Fifth  Michigan. 

Unfortunately  Colonel  Hays  was  that  day  on  detached  duty  and 
was  not  with  us  in  the  fight,  and  Lieutenant  Colonel  Morgan,  who 
gallantly  led  us  to  the  front  in  the  face  of  a  terrific  fusilade  of 
artillery  and  small  arms,  was  borne  off  the  field,  seriously  wounded 
soon  after  we  went  in,  and  there  was  no  one  to  report  w>here  we 
were  or  what  we  did.  Colonel  Hays  was  astonished  when  I  showed 
him,  three  weeks  afterwards,  the  position  we  had  reached  and  held. 

In  the  memorable  Seven  Days'  fight,  Kearney's  division  again 
covered  itself  with  glory.  We  opened  the  ball  on  Wednesday,  the  25th 
of  June,  by  driving  the  enemy  to  a  point  nearer  to  Richmond  than 
our  forces  occupied  at  any  other  time  in  their  campaign.  I  remem 
ber  a  sharp,  terse,  characteristic  thing  said  by  General  Kearney  on 
that  occasion.  General  Robinson,  who  had  succeeded  Jameson  in  com 
mand  of  our  brigade,  has  driven  the  enemy's  pickets  a  considerable 
distance  and  made  a  halt.  Kearney  came  up,  and  said  something, 
and  we  again  advanced  about  half  a  mile  farther,  over  hotly  con 
tested  ground.  For  some  unexplained  reason  we  were  soon  after 
faced  about,  and  marched  back  to  the  place  Kearney  had  found  us, 
or  very  near  it.  While  holding  that  line  during  a  lull,  Kearney 
came  up  again,  and  said,  "W^ell,  general,  what  have  you  done?"  "Oh, 
we  have  been  driving  the  enemy,"  said  Robinson.  "Yes,  but  general, 
how  far  have  you  driven  them?  Have  you  driven  them  an  inch?" 
The  next  two  days,  while  McCall  and  Porter  were  fighting  at 
Mechanicsville  and  Gaines  Mill,  our  division  was  kept  busy  watching 
the  enemy  on  our  side  of  the  Chickahominy,  and  marching  here  and 
there  to  reinforce  threatened  points.  Porter  and  McCall  having 
crossed  over  to  our  side  on  Friday  night,  after  the  hard  fight  at 
Gaines  Mill,  we  were  sent  on  Saturday  to  guard  the  bridges  in  their 
rear,  while  they  were  moving  off  'towards  James  River,  the  retreat 
having  already  begun  without  our  knowing  there  was  going  to  be  a 
retreat.  But  we  saw  signs  of  it  when  we  got  back  in  the  evening  to 
our  own  position  on  the  extreme  left  front.  Next  day  and  the  next 
I  was  in  command  of  the  regiment,  as  the  senior  captain  present, 
the  colonel  being  temporarily  disabled  by  a  severe  neuralgia  attack. 
Shortly  after  we  reached  camp  that  evening  I  received  an  order  for 
every  man  to  be  provided  with  three  days'  rations  and  150  rounds 
of  ammunition.  General  Kearney  came  himself  to  the  camp  shortly 
after,  and  I  inquired  about  the  ammunition,  thinking  there  might  be 
some  mistake.  "No,  no,  no  mistake,  captain;  see  that  every  man 
takes  150  rounds."  But,  general,  I  suggested,  where  will  they  carry 
so  many?"  "Anywhere,  captain,  anywhere.  Fill  their  cartridge 
boxes,  and  put  the  rest  in  their  pockets,  hats,  anywhere.  We  are 
going  on  a  journey,  and  it  will  come  handy  to  have  them."  And  the 
result  proved  he  was  right.  It  was  there,  too,  that,  as  a  precaution, 
in  order  to  distinguish  his  own  officers  in  the  confusion  of  the 
retreat,  he  required  every  commissioned  officer  of  his  division  to 
place  on  his  cap  the  red  diamond,  since  become  so  famous. 

On  Sunday  we  fell  back  slowly,  making  frequent  stands  to  hold 
the  enemy  in  check,  but  it  was  at  Glendale,  on  Monday,  June  30th, 
that  the  Sixty-third  particularly  distinguished  itself.  Kearney's  offi 
cial  report  gives  the  highest  meed  of  praise  to  Colonel  Hays  and  his 
regiment  for  his  splendid  support  of  Thompson's  battery,  at  a  critical 
juncture  of  the  'battle. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  4<>l 

Then  when  the  scene  again  shifted  to  the  front  of  Washington  in 
the  last  days  of  August,  the  division  was  hurried  to  the  point  of 
clanger,  where  it  suffered  severely  and  bore  itself  most  gallantly 
in  the  series  of  battles  known  as  Second  Bull  Run.  And  among  all 
the  calamities  of  that  ill-fated  campaign,  not  one  shocked  and  grieved 
the  Nation  so  much  as  the  death  of  Kearney  at  Chantilly.  No  more 
was  his  eagle  eye  to  flash  out  light  on  the  field  of  battle  or  his 
knightly  plume  to  beckon  his  followers  to  victory,  but  his  genius  and 
bravery  had  made  his  name  immortal,  and  though  he  fell,  it  remained 
as  a  precious  legacy  and  as  a  mark  of  distinction  to  the  division 
he  had  so  n6bly  lead.  And  never  did  it  prove  recreant  to  that 
honored  name  it  bore. 

Under  its  subsequent  commanders,  Stoneman  and  Birney,  at  Fred- 
ericksburg,  Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg,  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania, 
North  Anna,  Cold  Harbor,  Petersburg  and  elsewhere,  through  the 
long  struggle,  the  old  division  proved  itself  worthy  of  its  anteced 
ents  and  the  chivalric  fame  of  its  former  leader.  And  until  the  last 
survivor  of  the  war  shall  have  passed  away  it  will  ever  be  accounted 
an  honor  to  have  belonged  to  Kearney's  division  of  the  Third  Army 
Corps. 

And  now,  comrades,  standing  here  with  the  thinned  ranks  in  this 
first  reunion  of  the  regiment,  let  us  drink  in  silence  to  the  memory 
of  the  hero  and  patriot,  Philip  Kearney,  and  to  the  memory  of  that 
other  hero  and  patriot,  so  much  like  Kearney,  in  all  the  elements  of 
a  true  soldier,  and  who  fell  like  him,  in  the  very  front  of  battle,  in 
the  service  of  his  country,  the  first  leader  of  the  Sixty-third  Penn 
sylvania,  General  Alexander  Hays.  And  while  thus  reviewing  these 
illustrious  names  let  us  not  forget  the  honor  due  to  all  those  com 
rades,  heroes  and  patriots  also,  whether  they  carried  muskets  in  the 
ranks  or  bore  the  ensign  of  office,  whose  lives  were  as  dear  to  them 
and  to  their  families  as  were  the  lives  of  any  who  wore  a  star,  and 
whom  we  miss  from  our  ranks  here  tonight  because  they  too  gave 
their  lives  for  their  country. 

Yes,  we  miss  them  from  our  ranks  tonight,  but  we  should  never 
permit  their  names  or  their  deeds  to  perish  from  our  memory. 


GENERAL  HAYS'  MONUMENT. 

Immediately  after  General  Hays'  death,  steps  were  taken  to  erect 
a  fitting  memorial  at  his  grave,  in  the  Allegheny  cemetery,  Pitts 
burgh,  Pa.,  officers  and  enlisted  men  of  his  command  contributing  to 
the  project,  and  in  1866  the  monument  was  completed,  the  lot  upon 
which  it  was  erected  being  contributed  by  the  cemetery;  the  cannons 
which  surround  the  lot  donated  by  the  United  States  Government. 

A  few  years  following  its  erection  the  monument  'began  to  show 
the  effects  of  weather  and  smoke,  and  gradually  disintegrated  until 
much  of  the  inscription  was  effaced,  and  it  was  deemed  advisable 
to  renew  the  design  in  Barre  granite,  which  is  practically  inde- 
structable.  The  original  was  taken  down,  broken  up,  and  in  its 
place  erected  the  present  memorial,  which  was  unveiled  on  the 
morning  of  Memorial  Day,  1901,  under  the  direction  of  the  surviv 
ing  members  of  the  Sixty-third  Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers, 
with  the  following  program  of  exercises: 

Dirge Second   Regiment   Band 

Prayer Chaplain  Alex.  Hays'  Post  No.  3,  G.  A.  R. 

Quartette — "Roses,    Strew    Roses" Nevin 

Miss  Henriett  Keil,  Miss  Helen  M.  Keil,  Mr.  Peter 
Keiljr.,  Mr.  Win.  J.  Caton. 

Unveiling  of  Monument Mrs.   Martha  Hays  Black 

Address Comrade  Thomas  H.  Martin 

Company  F,  Sixty-third  Regiment. 

Then  followed  the  regular  annual  memorial  services  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  By  General  Alexander  Hays'  Post  No.  3: 

Music Second  Brigade  Band 

Commander's  Address William  J.  Hamilton 

Prayer 'Chaplain    S.    H.    Cherlton 

Quartette — "Rest,   Soldier,   Rest" 

Formal  Placing  of  Flowers 

Saluting  the  Dead Company  F,  Third  Regiment,  Boys'  Brigade 

Benediction     

In  the  new  monument  the  original  design  was  preserved,  with 
some  minor  alterations  in  the  insignia  on  the  front,  showing  the 
general's  sword  and  scabbard  crossed,  with  Second  and  Third  Corps 
badges,  surmounted  by  a  wreath  of  oak  and  laurel.  The  front  face 
reads: 

General  Alexander  Hays, 
Killed  in  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness, 

May. 5,  1864. 
Born  July  8,  1819. 


§  33 


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STORY  OP  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  463 

This  Monument  was  erected  by  the  Soldiers  of  his  Command. 

On  Fame's  eternal  camping  ground, 

His  silent  tent  is  spread, 
And  Glory  guards,  with  solemn  round, 

The  bivouac  of  the  dead. 

On  one  side  a  list  of  the  battles  of  the  Mexican  war  in  which  he 
participated: 

Palo  Alto, 

Reseca  de  la  Palma, 

Santa  Pe, 

Pasco  de  Orejas, 

National  Bridge, 

Humantla, 

El   Penal, 

Pueblo, 

Atlixco, 

San  Augustine  de  la  Palma, 

Tehuacan, 

Galaxca, 

Plaxcala, 

Orizaba, 

Cordova, 

Tulancingo, 

Zacultapan. 

On  the  opposite  side — his  battles  of" the  Civil  War: 

Yorktown, 

Williamsburg, 

Fair  Oaks, 

The  Orchard, 

Glendale, 

Malvern, 

Bristoe,  August  A.  D.  1862, 

Bull  Run, 

Groveton, 

Gettysburg, 

Auburn, 

Bristoe,  A.  D.  1863, 

Locust  Grove, 

Mine  Run, 

Morton's   Ford, 

The  Wilderness. 

On    the    rear    is    the    date    of    birth    and    death    of    Anna   Adams 
McFadden,  his  wife. 

THE  HAYS  MONUMENT  IN  THE  WILDERNESS. 

Between  the  lines  the  smoke  hung  low, 

And  shells  fell  screaming  to  and  fro, 
While  blue  and  gray  in  sharp  distress, 
Rode  fast,  their  shattered  lines  to  press 

Again  upon  the  lingering  foe. 


464  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH        » 

'Tis  past, — and   now  the  roses  blow 
Where  war  was  waging  years  ago, 
And  naught  exists  save  friendliness 
Between  the  lines. 

On  the  morning  of  June  3,  1905,  in  the  presence  of  a  vast  con 
course  of  Virginians,  and  a  party  of  about  one  hundred  from  Pitts 
burgh,  a  handsome  memorial,  marking  the  spot  where  General 
Alexander  Hays  fell  in  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness,  Virginia,  May 
5,  1864,  was  dedicated  with  befitting  ceremony.  The  exercises  were 
remarkable  from  the  fact  that  equal  service  on  the  program  was 
rendered  by  Confederate  and  Union  soldiers,  the  land  on  which 
the  monument  stands,  having  been  presented  by  Major  W.  S. 
Embrey,  a  Confederate  soldier. 

The  monument  was  erected  by  admirers  and  the  family  of  General 
Hays,  through  Alexander  Hays  Post  3,  G.  A.  R.,  and  Davis  Camp 
Sons  of  Veterans,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  is  in  the  shape  of  a  large 
cannon  standing  upright  on  a  granite  base,  with  a  simple  bronze 
tablet  affixed  to  the  cannon  bearing  the  legend:  "Here  fell  General 
Alexander  Hays,  Third  Division,  Second  Army  Corps,  U.  S.  V.,  May 
5,  1864."  Upon  the  'base  is  the  inscription:  "Erected  by  General 
Alexander  Hays  Post  No.  3,  Department  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Davis 
Camp  Sons  of  Veterans."  On  the  reverse:  "This  ground  donated 
by  Major  W.  S.  Embrey,  C.  S.  A."  A  substantial  iron  fence  sur 
rounds  the  monument. 

The  program  of  the  exercises  reads: 

Song,  "America" Audience  and  Sewickley  G.  A.  R.  Quartette 

Soprano,  Mrs.  J.  Sharp  McDonald;  contralto,  Mrs.  John  A.  Roe; 
tenor,  Mr.  Robert  J.  Cunningham;    bass,  Mr. 
William  C.   Nevin, 

Invocation Rev.   John   H.   Light 

Fredericksburg  M.  E.  Church. 

Presentation  of  Deed  to  Land Major  W.  S.  Embrey,  C.  S.  A. 

Acceptance  of  Deed Captain  David  Shields 

Personal  Aide  to  General  Hays. 

Song — "Star  Spangled  Banner" Mrs.  J.  Sharp  McDonald 

Presentation  of  Monument Rev.  Nathan  L.  Brown,  Pittsburgh 

Unveiling Alden  F.  Hays,  son  of  General  Hays 

Song — "Battle  Cry  of  Freedom" Quartette 

Acceptance  of  Monument Thomas  H.  Martin 

Company  F,  Sixty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

Song — "Falling  Into  Line" Quartette 

Original  Poem — "Alex.   Hays" Dr.   Thomas  Culver 

Song — "Dixie    Land" Quartette 

Address Hon.  John  T.  Goolrick,  C.  S.  A. 

gong — "Tenting  on  the  Old  Camp  Ground" Quartette 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD   REGIMENT  465 

Refreshments  were  served  by  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society  of  Spottsyl- 
vania,  an  organization  having  charge  of  the  Confederate  cemetery 
at  that  place. 

The  Sixty-third  Regiment  was  represented  by  Captain  David 
Shields,  Captain  George  B.  'Chalmers,  E.  T.  Saint,  C.  C.  Fawcett, 
Thomas  Kirk,  W.  R.  Nicholson,  Robert  Orr,  W.  H.  Jeffries,  Andrew 
G.  Williams,  John  Vogle,  James  Truby,  John  M.  Yahres,  Samuel 
Dunham. 

En  route  by  vehicle  from  Fredericksburg  to  the  monument,  a 
brief  stop  was  made  at  th^  monument  which  marks  the  spot  where 
"Stonewall"  Jackson  was  Killed,  when  Captain  David  Shields  placed 
a  handsome  wreath  on  the  monument,  followed  by  an  address  by 
\ndrew  G.  Williams,  of  Company  E,  with  music  by  the  quartette. 

THE  GETTYSBURG  MONUMENT. 

Under  the  act  of  legislature  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  in  1887, 
a  commission  was  created  for  the  erection  of  monuments  to  mark 
positions  held  by  the  various  Pennsylvania  regiments  or  commands 
on  the  battlefield  of  Gettysburg.  An  appropriation  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  was  made,  each  regimental  organi 
zation  to  be  awarded  not  to  exceed  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  with 
the  privilege  of  adding  any  amount  they  chose  toward  the  erection 
of  suitable  memorials.  An  additional  act  allowed  transportation 
to  all  honorable  discharged  soldiers  who  participated  in  the  Gettys 
burg  fight,  to  and  from  the  dedication  of  their  respective  monu 
ments.  Each  organization  was  to  have  the  selection  of  a  design 
for  their  monuments,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  commission. 
Through  lack  of  harmony  on  the  part  of  the  Executive  Committee  of 
the  Sixty-third's  Regimental  Association,  no  design  was  agreed  upon, 
and  after  much  delay  the  State  Commission  chose  a  design  and  had 
erected  the  present  monument,  which  met  with  the  emphatic  dis 
approval  of  the  Sixty-third  members,  being  facetiously  'dubbed  "The 
Base  Burner  Stove,"  by  a  waggish  member.  However,  there  was  no 
recourse,  and  after  a  flat  refusal  at  first  to  accept  the  memorial, 
it  was  dedicated  on  the  afternoon  of  September  11,  1889,  with  the 
following  addresses: 

COLONEL  JOHN  A.  DANKS. 

My    Comrades    of    the    Sixty-third    Regiment,    Pennsylvania    Volun 
teers: — 

Very  few  people  (comparatively  speaking)  attach  as  much  import 
ance  to  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg  as  belongs  to  it.  Very  few  think 
of  it  as  the  Calvary  of  American  Freedom.  But  such  it  is  in  the 
history  of  the  United  States. 

When  we  think  of  humanity  as  being  crushed  by  sin  and  look 
for  a  remedy,  we  begin  at  the  Garden  and  find  the  conclusion  at 
Calvary.  When  we  think  and  speak  of  the  government  of  England 
as  threatened  with  dismemberment  and  ruin,  and  look  for  the 
remedy,  we  find  it  Wraterloo.  So,  when  we  think  and  speak  of 
oppression,  caste  and  class  in  America,  and  look  for  the  remedy,  we 
begin  at  Harper's  Ferry  with  old  John  Brown,  and  find  the  answer 
in  Pickett's  charge  at  Gettysburg.  So  we  say:  "For  Humanity, 
Cavalry;  for  England,  Waterloo;  for  America,  Gettysburg." 

What  a  thrilling  recollection  it   must  be  to  each  of  us  that  we 


466  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

formed  an  important  part  of  the  army  that  rescued  and  saved  the 
nation.  Furthermore,  that  we  discharged  a  duty  on  this  line,  more 
than  twenty-six  years  ago,  that  has  been  increasing  in  interest  and 
importance  as  the  years  go  by.  I  had  the  honor  to  command  the 
regiment  in  this  battle,  I,  therefore,  know  whereof  I  speak  and 
deliberately  say,  that  never  did  twenty-four  hours  witness,  or  one- 
fourth  of  a  mile  measure,  more  earnest  devotion  to  the  Union,  than 
you  rendered  here  on  this  line  July  2,  1863. 

When  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg  was  joined,  the  Tnird  Corps,  in 
which  we  were  serving,  was  near  Frederick,  Md.;  we  then  marched 
to  Emmitsburg,  Md.,  stacked  arms  and  were  resting,  when  the  word 
came:  "The  armies  are  fighting  at  Gettysburg  and  General  Rey 
nolds  is  killed — go  at  once  to  Gettysburg."  We  started  at  double- 
quick;  we  came  in  here  about  8  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  1st. 
We  halted  for  supper  just  to  the  right  of  Little  Round  Top;  at  about 
10  o'clock  that  night  we  were  ordered  and  led  here  on  this  line  to 
'do  picket  duty.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  2nd,  the  enemy  being 
in  front,  fired  on  the  right  of  our  line;  this  continued  at  intervals 
until  about  9  o'clock.  When  a  Maine  regiment  went  out  in  front 
to  test  the  strength  of  the  enemy  at  this  point,  soon  they  and  we 
became  hotly  engaged  all  along  the  line.  But  soon  the  enemy  with 
drew.  Four  times  that  day  did  the  enemy  come  out,  deploy  a 
skirmish  line  as  though  they  would  bring  on  a  general  engagement. 
But  you  met  them  promptly  and  each  time  they  retired.  Between 
4  and  5  o'clock  p.  m.  I  was  informed  by  the  company  commanders 
that  our  ammunition  was  about  spent  and  we  would  have  nothing 
but  the  bayonet,  should  the  enemy  'come  again.  This  report  I  sent 
by  an  orderly  to  General  D.  B.  Birney;  soon  a  regiment  wearing  a 
white  patch  came  up  to  relieve  us,  and  a  staff  officer  came  with 
instructions  for  me  to  take  the  regiment  and  replenish  the  ammuni 
tion. 

We  crossed  the  ridge  and  when  on  the  Tanneytown  Road  I  noticed 
our  brigade  and  division  headquarters  flags  in  front.  We  moved  into 
our  place  in  the  line  just  to  the  right  of  Little  Round  Top;  there 
we  remained  until  after  Pickett's  charge,  when  we  were  taken  at 
double-quick  down  the  line,  and  halted  in  front  of  where  Pickett 
had  been  repulsed.  We  remained  in  the  line  there  until  the  morn 
ing  of  the  5th,  when  the  army  went  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy. 

Reviewing  the  time  and  work,  I  am  prepared  to  say,  surely  no 
man  or  nation  could  ask  or  expect  an  organization  to  do  better  ser 
vice  than  you  did  at  Gettysburg  in  1863. 

HISTORICAL  SKETCH  BY  R.  HOWARD  MILLER. 

The  movements  of  the  First  Division,  Third  Army  Corps,  from 
Falmouth,  Va.,  and  ending  with  our  arrival  at  Gettysburg,  will  be 
found  for  all  applicable  purposes  to  apply  to  the  movements  of  the 
Sixty-third  Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

June  5,  1863 — Third  Army  Corps  (General  D.  B.  Birney  in  com 
mand)  was  posted  at  Boscobel,  near  Falmouth. 

June   11 — Marched  from  Boscobel  to  Hart  wood  Church. 

June  12 — Marched  from  Hartwood  Church  to  Bealton,  General 
Humphrey's  division  being  advanced  to  the  Rappahannock. 

June   14 — Marched  from  Bealton  to  Manassas  Junction. 

June  17 — Marched  from  Manassas  Junction  to  Centreville. 

June  19 — Marched  from  Centreville  to  Gum  Springs. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  467 

June  25 — Marched  from  Gum  Springs  to  the  north  side  of  the 
Potomac  at  Edwards'  Perry  and  mouth  of  the  Monocacy. 

June  26 — Marched  from  the  Monocacy  to  Point  of  Rocks,  Md. 

June  27 — Marched  from  Point  of  Rocks  via  Jefferson  to  Middle- 
town,  Md. 

June  28 — Marched  from  Middletown  to  near  Woodsboro,  General 
Sickles  assuming  command,  relieving  General  Birney. 

June  29. — Marched  from  Woodsboro  to  Taneytown  beyond  Pipe 
Creek. 

June   30 — Marched  from  Taneytown  to  Bridgeport. 

July  1 — At  6  p.  m.  Graham  and  Ward's  Brigades  were  posted 
directly  across  the  Taneytown  Road  to  the  right  of  Little  Round 
Top  and  in  the  rear  of  Geary's  division,  Twelfth  Army  Corps.  About 
dusk  of  the  same  evening  the  regiment  was  placed  in  position  on 
the  Emmitsburg  Pike  with  headquarters  at  the  Sherfy  House;  on 
the  morning  of  2nd,  about  5  o'clock,  the  enemy  commenced  firing, 
which  was  kept  up  during  the  day  and  at  three  different  times 
deployed  and  advanced  a  strong  skirmish  line  as  if  they  intended 
full  columns  to  follow,  but  in  every  instance  were  driven  back 
after  a  severe  skirmish.  At  5  p.  m.  we  were  relieved  by  the  Second 
Division  and  ordered  to  replenish  ammunition,  when  we  crossed 
over  Cemetery  Ridge.  Our  division  and  brigade  colors  were  on  the 
Taneytown  Road,  where  we  remained  that  night.  On  the  morning 
of  the  3rd  we  went  into  line  to  the  right  of  Little  Round  Top  and 
enjoyed  a  share  of  the  preliminary  shelling  of  the  enemy  that  was 
to  usher  in  the  rebel  charge  of  Pickett's  division.  After  the  charge 
had  failed,  and  the  survivors  were  falling  back  to  their  lines,  went 
on  a  'double-quick  down  the  line  and  were  halted  just  in  front  of 
Pickett's  dead  and  wounded;  there  we  remained  until  July  5th. 

July  4 — Lee  drew  back  his  flanks  and  in  the  evening  began  his 
retreat  by  two  routes — the  main  body  on  the  direct  road  to  Williams- 
port  through  the  mountains,  the  other  in  the  direction  of  Chambers- 
burg  including  his  train  of  wounded  with  Gregg's  cavalry  in  pur 
suit. 

July  5 — At  Gettysburg.  July  6 — Marched  to  Mechanicstown. 
July  7— Marched  to  near  Frederick  in  fvont  of  the  Monocacy.  July 
8 — Marched  from  Frederick  to  Downsville,  beyond  Marsh  Creek. 

July  14 — General  Lee  crossed  on  the  night  of  the  14th  to  Vir 
ginia  side  of  the  Potomac. 

July  17 — Regiment  crossed  into  Virginia  at  Harper's  Ferry  on 
the  night  of  the  17th,  and  thus  ended  the  invasion  of  the  soil  of  our 
native  state,  with  all  existing  military  prestige  flushed  with  the 
hope  of  a  victory  like  Chancellorsville,  with  hope  of  foreign  recogni 
tion  if  successful — they  seemed  to  have  great  reason  to  hope  for 
success — but  it  was  of  paramount  interest  to  the  Confederates  to 
strike  a  decisive  blow  on  the  battlefield;  to  retreat  was  dishonor  to 
their  cause  already  weakened,  and  the  old  world  was  waiting  for 
the  result;  strike  they  did,  the  hour  was  ripe  for  history  and  the 
monument  we  dedicate  today  points  with  unerring  finger  to  the 
history  which  they  commemorate.  The  past  is  secure,  the  field 
attests  the  valor  of  the  soldiers  of  the  blue.  May  never  again  the 
storm  cloud  of  war  blur  the  horizon  of  our  country,  and  we  feel 
in  going  down  the  sober  afternoon  of  life  to  the  shades  from  whose 
bourne  no  traveller  returns,  to  thank  God  in  the  fullness  of  our 
hearts  that  we  have  been  permitted  to  live  in  this  grand  and  glori 
ous  age,  when  slavery  died,  when  freedom  to  all  has  taken  a  new 


468  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

lease  of  life  and  more  vigorous  growth,  when  the  old  flag  waves  in 
triumph  from  ocean  to  ocean,  from  the  lake  to  the  gulf.  In  parting 
let  us  renew  again  our  vows  to  the  old  flag  and  to  each  other,  keep 
ing  up  the  touch  to  the  right,  and  as  comrade  after  comrade  is 
called  to  the  encampment  above  by  the  Supreme  Commander,  close 
up  closer  together  both  in  heart  and  hand,  and  may  we  all  so  live 
that  the  plaudit  will  be,  "Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  serv 
ant."  . 

DEDICATORY  ADDRESS  OF  ANDREW  G.  WILLIAMS. 

Comrades: — The  swiftly  speeding  days  of  more  than  twenty-six 
years  have  come  and  gone  since  first  the  Sixty-third  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  stood  in  the  might  and  majesty  of  its  loyal 
manhood  in  defense  of  this  identical  portion  on  the  Union  line  of 
battle,  and  today  we,  the  survivors  of  that  gallant  old  regiment, 
have  met  on  this  historic  field;  the  field  which  marks  the  high  flood 
tide  of  rebellion;  the  field  against  whose  every  side  and  flank  the 
impetuous  torrents  of  fratricidal  war  in  all  their  hellish  fury  surged; 
to  be  rolled  back  and  submerged- only  when  its  ridges  and  its  plains, 
its  orchards  and  its  glens,  its  rocky  round  tops  and  its  devil's  den, 
had  'been  drenched  and  ran  red  with  the  heroic  blood  of  twenty 
thousand  of  your  comrades,  and  not  even  then  were  the  fierce  fires 
of  secession  quenched  on  this  field  until  three  thousand  more  brave 
men  went  down  to  death  and  placed  their  lives,  the  one  most  valu 
able  and  unmeasurable  offer  that  ever  was  or  can  be  made  by  mortal 
man  for  home  and  country,  upon  the  nation's  altar. 

Standing  in  this  presence  today  we  all  fully  realize  how  changed 
the  scene. 

"No  hostile  armies  gather  now, 

But  autumn   air  around 

Breathe  peace  and  joy  where  once  we  fought 
Upon  this  very  ground. 

When  on  this  monument  we  gaze 

What  hallowed  memories  throng 
Our  cause — forever  it  was  right 

Our  foes — forever  wrong. 

Forever  wrong;   all  time  will  point 

To  Gettysburg  with  pride 
Here  freedom  triumphed,  and  on  this  field 

The  hopes  of  treason  died." 

Monuments  are  as  old  as  our  race  and  all  along  the  history  of 
the  dim  and  dusty  ages  of  the  past  down  to  the  bright  and  joyous 
present  man  has  been  perpetrating  the  memory  of  heroic  men  and 
deeds  in  monumental  pile  and  storied  urn,  and  this  inclination 
comes  to  the  mind  of  our  common  humanity,  but  as  promptings  from 
and  a  reflex  expression  of  the  great  divine  original  Himself.  God 
ever  was  and  continues  to  be  a  monument  builder. 

On  this  field  today  we  are  reminded  of  the  many  monuments,  all 
of  which  are  silently,  yet  eloquently,  proclaiming  that  affection  for 
and  appreciation  of  heroic  patriotism  and  patriotic  heroism  still  sur 
vives.  We  have  met  again  on  this  once  bloody  field,  after  the  lapse 
of  so  many  years  of  peace  and  prosperity,  to  perpetuate  the  memory 
and  render  our  faint  and  feeble  tribute  of  praise  to  the  valor  of  Penn 
sylvania's  soldiers,  and  especially  do  we  meet  on  this  historic  spot — 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD   REGIMENT  469 

the  Peach  Orchard — to  dedicate  this  monument  to  the  services  of  our 
loved  and  gallant  Sixty-third,  than  which  there  was  no  braver,  whose 
long  lists  of  glorious  achievements  have  never  yet  been  enumerated 
and  the  history  of  which  when  written  will  be  the  history  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  And  yet  it's  true  on  every  hand  we  are 
reminded  that  here  the  brave  men  of  eighteen  sister  states  stood 
elbow  to  elbow  and  side  by  side  most  nobly  fought  and  fell. 

A  Grecian  philosopher  once  said,  "The  whole  earth  is  the  sepulchre 
of  illustrious  men,"  and  the  Hon.  Edward  Everett  in  his  matchless 
oration  at  the  dedication  of  yonder  National  cemetery  added,  "All 
time  is  the  millenium  of  their  glory." 

The  peaceful  gathering  here  today  of  you,  my  comrades,  but 
evidences  the  glorious  success  of  your  patriotic  service.  The  Union 
and  all  that  word  implies;  flag  and  all  the  privileges  and  rights  it 
represents;  country  and  all  the  hallowed  memories  and  illustrious 
kinship  we  claim.  All  these  must  have  inevitable  and  forever  been 
engulfed  in  the  whirlpool  of  rebellion,  but  for  the  service  and 
sacrifice  made  by  you  bronzed  and  battle-browned  veterans  and  your 
comrades. 

And  now  my  comrades  there  remains  for  us  who  survive  our  fallen 
comrades  the  high,  the  holy  duty  of  here  and  now  resolving  that 
these,  our  dead,  shall  not  have  died  in  vain,  but  that  the  cause  to 
which  they  yielded  their  full  measure  of  devotion  shall  forever  have 
our  undying  fealty.  This  ground  has  been  consecrated  by  the  blood 
and  'death  of  our  comrades;  and  this  monument  we  now  most 
solemnly  dedicate  to  their  memory  and  in  honor  of  your  service,  and 
in  its  presence  with  uncovered  head  and  upraised  hand,  we  pledge 
our  lives  to  eternal  defense  of  the  principles  of  right  and  justice, 
the  contest  for  which  has  made  this  field  so  memorable.  We  have 
•all  reached  the  meridian  of  life  and  many  with  halting  step  and 
silvered  locks  are  far  down  on  the  shady  side  of  the  mountain,  indeed 
almost  in  the  glades  at  its  'base  and  soon  must  lay  us  down  at  "taps" 
and  bid  our  last  adieu  to  comrades  dear  and  the  loved  land  we 
helped  to  save;  let  us  see  to  it  then  that  we  so  keep  step  to  the 
music  of  moral  heroism;  so  touch  elbow  to  elbow  in  the  march  of 
human  happiness;  so  stand  in  the  ranks  of  valiant  manhood,  pre 
senting  a  solid  front  against  all  the  enemies  of  our  race;  so  to  put 
on  the  entire  armor  of  Christian  soldiers  and  fight  successfully  the 
battles  of  this  present  life. 


470 


UNDER    THE ,RED    PATCH 


EXPLOSIVE  BULLETS. 

The  subject  of  explosive  bullets  is  one  much  discussed  since  the 
war,  some  historians  stating  that  there  had  been  no  such  missile 
used  during  the  Civil  War,  but  the  severe  wounding  of  a  member 
of  the  Sixty-third  Regiment  prompts  us  to  mention  these  barbarous 
projectiles.  "All  is  fair  in  love  and  war,"  is  the  belief  of  most  of 
us.  General  Sherman's  saying  that  "war  is  hell,"  had  many  proofs 
in  every  big  battle.  The  adaptation  of  the  use  of  explosive  bullets 
to  kill  men,  (instead  of  big  game,  elephants,  rhinoceros,  etc.), 
was  used  by  the  rebels,  despite  the  doubts  of  some.  The  intent  of 
the  device  was  to  kill,  on  entering  the  body  of  animal  or  man  hit; 
if  such  result  did  not  come  from  first  phase  then  there  was  the 
probability,  when  the  bullet  exploded,  the  end  desired  would  be 
reached.  This  failing,  the  copper  remaining  in  the  wound  would 
poison  the  blood,  and  so  terminate  the  life  of  the  victim  by  slow, 
painful  or  excruciating  misery. 

The  bullets  here  shown  were  found  on  the  battlefield  of  Gettys 
burg. 


Fig.  1.  Explosive  bullet,  never  fired  from  gun,  with  outer  lead  jacket  cut 
away,  exposing  the  copper  shell  containing  the  high  explosive. 

Fig.  2.     Bullet  fired  from  gun,  showing  effects  of  explosion  of  copper  shell. 

Fig.  3.  Bullet  fired  from  gun  but  not  exploded,  showing  base  of  copper 
shell. 


The  device  was  a  conical  copper  bullet,  containing  a  charge  of 
high  explosive;  this  inside  of  or  covered  by  lead,  the  bases  being 
flush.  On  being  fired  from  the  gun  the  fuse  which  extended  inside 
the  copper  bullet  would  ignite,  and  if  it  would  continue  to  burn 
until  the  explosive  matter  was  reached,  explosion  would  be  the 
result. 

It  is  believed  the  Johnnies  had  the  exclusive  use  of  them — gifts 
from  our  friends,  the  British,  brought  to  the  rebels  by  blockade 
runners. 


ROSTER   OF   SURVIVING  MEMBERS. 

July  1,  1908. 

Colonel,  A.  S.  M.  Morgan,  Richland  Lane,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
Hospital  Steward,  Charles  D.  Schrieves. 

BAND  AND   MUSICIANS. 

Jacob  Covert,  Beaver  Falls,  Pa. 

Emanuel  Evans,  New  Brighton,  Pa. 

T.  F.  Johnston,  New  Brighton,  Pa. 

Jacob  M.  Johnston,  West  Middlesex,  Pa. 

George  F.  Lyman,  Mt.  Pleasant,  0. 

Henry  Noss,  New  Brighton,  Pa. 

Lyman  Priest,  Sheridanville,  Pa. 

William  T.  Priest,  Edgeworth,  Pa. 

George  Stamm,   National   Military  Home,  Ohio. 

Ferd.  A.  Winter,  Altoona,  Pa. 

COMPANY  A. 

Milton  Barnett,  National  Military  Home,  Ohio. 
Robert  H.  Bates. 
W.  W.  Clelland,  Oakmont,  Pa. 
Aaron  Cubbert. 

William  Davidson,   Morganza,   Pa. 

Eli  R.  Dowler,  1129  N.  Negley  Avenue,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
Frank  Dunbar,  Braddock,  Pa. 
Jacob  Fry,  Tarentum,  Pa. 
Thomas  Haddon,  Hope  Church,  Pa. 

George  Hollenbeck,  4900  Sciota  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
George  Hoerr,  15   Park  Way,  Allegheny,  Pa. 
Abraham  Heisley. 
Albert  O.  Laufmann,  Crafton,  Pa. 
James  P.  Miles. 

Jesse  Morris,  7616  Mulford  Avenue,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
George  Morrison,  Waterford,  Pa. 
William  H.  Morrow,  Manor,  Pa. 
James  McAtee,  Latrobe,  Pa. 
Irwin  McCutcheon,  Connellsville,  Pa. 
Daniel  Oskins,  Braddock,  Pa. 
James  L.  Paul,  Upland,  Cal. 

James  C.  Quinter,  1106  Belmont  Street,  Wilkinsburg,  Pa. 
Robert  W.  Scott,  Monongahela,  Pa. 

B.  Frank  Shafer,  900  Franklin  Avenue,  Wilkinsburg,  Pa. 
Thomas   M.    Shannon,   Company   No.    1,   National   Military   Home, 
Ohio. 

Samuel  K.  Shipley,  Ohio  Pyle,  Pa. 
S.  H.  Stout. 

Harvey  D.  Thompson,  Butler,  Pa. 
Henry  I.  Tomer. 


472  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

John  L.  Ward,  Crafton,  Pa. 

L.  A.  West,  Munhall,  Pa. 

Johns  A*.  Young,  317  Copp  building,  Dos  Angeles,  Cal. 

COMPANY    B. 

John   Baird,   Box   147,   Sharpsburg,   Pa. 

Robert  C.  Black,  5218  Penn  Avenue,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

William   T.   Black,   Harmarsville,   Pa. 

Benjamin  F.  Butterfield,  Bethesda,  Md. 

George  Cleland,  Wilkinsburg,  Pa. 

Joseph  Clowes,  Creighton,  Pa. 

Anthony  Collier,  Sr.,  R.  F.  D.  off,  Hoboken,  Pa. 

Amos  Coss,  Harmarsville,  Pa. 

William  T.   Coss,  208   Main  Street,  Tarentum,  Pa. 

George  Duncan,   Martin's  Ferry,   O. 

George  Duphorn,   Tarentum,  Pa. 

John  Evans,   Sharpsburg,  Pa. 

Daniel  Grubbs. 

Joseph  Grubbs,   Sharpsburg,   Pa. 

John  L.  Hays. 

James  Hines,   DuBois,   Pa. 

George  F.  House,   831    Washington  Street,  Braddock,   Pa. 

Dr.  J.  C.  Kennedy,  4833  Butler  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

William  Lafever,  Livermore,  Pa. 

John  B.  Meyer,  R.  F.  D.  No.  2,  Modena,  Wis. 

Robert  M.  Morton,  1029  W.  Fifty-first  Place,  Chicago,  111. 

Matthew  T.  Murray. 

James  McClarren,  Beaver  Falls,  Pa. 

James  McConnaha,  R.  F.  D.  No.  2,  Tarentum,  Pa. 

Edward  E.  McCorkle,  R.  F.  D.  No.  2,  Sharpsburg,  Pa. 

James  McCutcheon,   Ross,  Pa. 

W.  S.  McCutcheon. 

Robert  A.  Nesbit,  Irwin,  Pa. 

Edward  T.  Saint,  5544  Avondale  Place,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Hugh  Smith,  National  Military  Home,  Ohio. 

John  W.  Smith. 

COMPANY   C. 

Joseph  B.  Alexander,  1930  Carson  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

George  A.  Brown,  Arnold  City,  Pa. 

Garrison  Coale,  1052  O'range  Street,  Youngstown,  O. 

Richard   T.    Davis. 

W.   H.   Fetter,   New  Brighton,   Pa. 

Samuel  Fridiger,   New  Brighton,  Pa. 

G.  D.   Funkhouser,  New  Brighton,  Pa. 

George  W.  Graham,  Homewood,  Pa. 

Henry  Hamma,  Carnegie,  Pa. 

William  Hamma,  Greenock,  Pa. 

Miles  Hayden. 

David  Kidde,   McKeesport,  Pa. 

R.  B.   McDanel,  New  Brighton,  Pa. 

Joseph  A.    Nelson,   Rochester,   Pa. 

Benjamin  F.  Reed,  Rich  Street,  Columbus,  O. 

Frederick   Rouse. 

Jacob  Smith,  National  Military  Home,  Ohio. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  473 

Andrew  Stidham,  1318  E.  Eighth  Street,  Erie,  Pa. 

John  Stidham,  1310   E.  Eighth  Street,  Erie,  Pa. 

John  Vogle,  Webster,  Pa. 

James  S.  Wilson,  Beaver  Falls,  Pa. 

Thomas  F.  Wilson,  11  C  Street,  N.  E.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

William  P.  Wilson,  Monongahela,  Pa. 

COMPANY   D. 

Rudolph  Z.  Benzer,  Winside,  Nebraska. 
Albert  Boley,  National  Military  Home,  Indiana. 
James  Cain,  45  Greenbush  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
Alexander  J.  Clark,  National  Military  Home,  Ohio. 
John  Fagan,  3451  Ridge  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
Robert  Fowler,  Craft  Avenue,  Crafton  Terrace,  Pa. 
Davis  Glass,  64  Chatham  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
John  Harvey,  621  Lincoln  Avenue,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
Robert  McAdams,  60  Blackadore  Avenue,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
Elisha  A.  McAninch,   517  Natchez  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
Robert  D.  McKee,  Twenty-ninth  and  Liberty  Avenue,  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania. 

J.  Henry  Miller,  National  Military  Home,  Ohio. 

George  Morrison,  Waterford,  Pa. 

Joseph  Wickline,  3950  Mifflin  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

COMPANY     E. 

George  W.  Allison,  158  N.  Ray  Street,  New  Castle,  Pa. 

Samuel  R.  Baldwin,  New  Castle,  Pa. 

James  A.  Clowes,  7049  Race  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

William  Clowes,  National  Military  Home,  Indiana. 

Rev.  Ralph  H.  Dawson. 

David  Dunlap,  Springdale,  Pa. 

Isaac  Edgar,  Glenshaw,  Pa. 

John   Frayer,   National   Military   Home,   Hampton,   Va. 

Earnest  Frederick. 

Samuel  A.  Gray,  Bedford,  Mo. 

Robert  Hare,  R.  F.  D.  No.  1,  Emporia,  Kansas. 

John  G.  Homyer,  Etna,  Pa. 

John  S.  Hunter,  Etna,  Pa. 

William   Hutchman,   Pawnee   City,    Neb. 

Alfred  H.  Jones,  260  Mathilda  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Ebenezer  Jones. 

George  Laing. 

Jerome  C.  Lingle,  Decatur,  111. 

William  H.  McGill,  Sharpsburg,  Pa. 

Kennedy  McKee,  Etna,  Pa. 

William  Pears,  Topeka,  Kan. 

Thomas  Powers,  1408  S.  Duluth  Avenue,  Sioux  Falls,  S.  Dakota. 

John  G.  Robinson,  409  Pacific  Avenue,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Joseph  0.  Steiner,  AHquippa  and  Robinson  Streets,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Andrew  G.  Williams,  Butler,  Pa. 

William  A.  Williams,  Fisk  and  Irvine  Streets,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

John  M.   Yahres,   Sharon,   Pa. 

COMPANY  F. 

Henry  Beer,  Fisher,  Pa. 

William  Campbell,  Red  Bank,  Pa. 


474  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

Isaiah  K.   Dale. 

'Orlando  Delp,  Kane,  Pa. 

William  J.   Dunlap,   Clarion,   Pa. 

George  W.  Fox,  1100  Chestnut  Avenue,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 

Stewart  A.  Fulton,  Bodie,  Cal. 

Alpheus  A.  George,  Fourth  and  Wilson  Avenues,  Oil  City,  Pa. 

John  Gilford. 

Alexander  Goble,  Arthurs,  Pa. 

Eliphas  Highberger,  Wichita,  Kan. 

Benjamin  P.  Hilliard,  Clarion,  Pa. 

Michael   Kempf,   Scotch  Hill,   Pa. 

David  S.  Keiser. 

James  Loudon,  Red  Bank,  Pa. 

James  McBride,  Fisher,  Pa. 

Jonathan  McCurdy,  Slate  Lick,  Pa. 

Hugh  P.   McKee,   Curlsville,   Pa. 

Jacob  Mentzer,  Hazen,  Pa. 

John  Newhouse,  Howe,  Pa. 

Peter  Nugent,  National  Military  Home,  Ohio. 

Peter  O'Neil,  Lucinda,  Pa. 

Adam  Potter,  Fisher,  Pa. 

John  G.  Richards,  Sebago  Lake,  Me. 

Samuel  K.  Richards,  Lawton,  Oklahoma. 

Andrew  E.  Russell,  Natrona,  Pa. 

James  Sample,  Worthington,  Pa. 

David  F.  Sheets. 

David  Shields,  Shields,  Pa. 

James  Truby,  New  Kensington,  Pa. 

William  Wilkinson,  Mariensville,  Pa. 

COMPANY  G. 

M.    J.   Adams,   Franklin,   Pa. 

Peter  Boyer,  Shelocta,  Pa. 

J.  C.  Brookbank,  National  Military  Home,  Ohio. 

Robert  M.  Brown,  Turtle  Creek,  Pa. 

W.  L.  Calhoun,  Indiana,  Pa. 

John  Cessna,  R.  F.  D.  No.  2,  Yatesboro,  Pa. 

C.  G.  Cooper. 

John  R.  Cox,  Shelocta,  Pa. 

James  D.  Douglass,  1051  Peach  Street,  Rockford,  111. 
R.  H.  Daily,  Saltsburg,  Pa. 
S.  C.  Dewoody,  Franklin,  Pa. 
'  'Henry  Frailey,  Elderton,  Pa. 

J.  H.  Fulton,  R.  F.  D.  No.  1,  Saltsburg,  Pa. 

A.  W.  Gilmore,  Utica,  Pa. 
W.  H.  Green,  Hadley,  Pa. 

Curtis  C.  Griffin,  Apple  Creek,  Ohio. 
J.  S.  Gates,  Cooperstown,  Pa. 

B.  W.  Hull. 

Samuel  S.  Jack,  Apollo,  Pa. 
John  F.  Jones,  Shelocta,  Pa. 
James  M.  Johnston,  Advance,  Pa. 
Alfred  B.  Lupher. 

D.  K.  Mitchell. 

S.  G.  Moorhead,  Georgeville,  Pa. 
Charles  Moore,  Franklin,  Pa. 


STORY  OF  THE  SIXTY-THIRD  REGIMENT  475 

William  R.  Nicholson,  400  River  Avenue,  Esplen,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

John  Pickle,  R.  F.  D.  No.  1,  Shelocta,  Pa. 

Noah  W.  Porter,  Waterford,  Pa. 

J.  P.  Rankin. 

I.  L.  Rearick,  Locust  Grove,  Ohio. 

Samuel  A.  Rhoades,  Norden,  Neb. 

John  A.  Robinson,  Route  1,  Emlenton,  Pa. 

Loben  Russell,  Shelocta,  Pa. 

H.  C.  Stopp,  Cochranton,  Pa. 

Jacob  Sadler,  Davis,  Pa. 

William  M.  Smith,  Latrobe,  Pa. 

John  St.  Glair,  McNees,  Pa. 

D.  J.  Thomas,  Gastown,  Pa. 

J.  M.  Thomas,  Gastown,  Pa. 

William  Thomas,  Gastown,  Pa. 

James  S.  Williams. 

COMPANY  H. 

Hugh  Hagan,  Sheridanville,  Pa. 

Thomas  Kirk,  28  S.  Twenty-seventh  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

John  W.  Lynn,  383  W.  North  Street,  New  Castle,  Pa. 

William  R.  Martin,  1957  Irwin  Avenue,  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Samuel  E.  Moore,  1713  Forbes  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

John  Shields,  West  Pittsburgh  or  Turtle  Creek,  Pa. 

Samuel  Wilson,  Irwin,  Pa. 

James  Smith,   918  Locust  Street,  McKeesport,   Pa. 

Newton  Wilson,  Arnold,  Pa. 

COMPANY  I. 

R.  W.  Clark,  McKeesport,  Pa. 
Milton  S.  Coyne,  Corning,  0. 
Thaddeus  F.  Clymer,  McKeesport,  Pa. 
David  C.  Crawford,  1029  C  Street,  Lincoln,  Neb. 
Winfield  S.  Davis,  2616  Main  Street,  McKeesport,  Pa. 
William  Dias,  R.  F.  D.  No.  28,  Elizabeth,  Pa. 
J.  L.  Evans,  Seville,  Brighton  Road,  Allegheny,  Pa. 
C.  C.  Fawcett,  1043   Fawcett  Avenue,  McKeesport,  Pa. 
William  Ford,  Braddock,  Pa. 

Alex.  D.  Foster,  905  Fifth  Avenue,  McKeesport,  Pa. 
Peter  Gallitan. 

John  M.  Gamble,  Eustis,  Florida. 
W.  P.  Gilbert. 

John  H.  Hoffman,  108  Third  Street,  Louisville,  Ky. 
Thomas  L.  Hunter,  218  Ninth  Avenue,  McKeesport,  Pa. 
Daniel  P.  Mclntire,   1414  Western  Avenue,  Allegheny,  Pa. 
Luther  McMains,  Carmichels,  Pa. 

James  F.  McMullen,   416  Todd  Street,  Wilkinsburg,  Pa. 
W.  C.  Orris,  Elkins,  W.  Va. 
William  Packer,  Ligonier,  Pa. 
Joel  L.  Painter,  McKeesport,  Pa. 
Peter  Ray. 

Randolph  Reynolds,  McKeesport,  Pa. 
F.  M.  Taylor. 

William  Wigham,  California,  Pa. 
Theo.  C.  Walker,  Duquesne,  Pa. 
Joseph  Walthour,  Versailles,  Pa. 
Archie  Watson,  McKeesport,  Pa. 
Alexander  Wiper,  Dexter  City,  Ohio. 


476  UNDER  THE  RED  PATCH 

James  Wiper,  Malta,  Ohio. 

Robert  Wiper,  Foreman,  N.  Dakota. 

COMPANY  K. 

Reuben  Bearce,  Sheakleyville,  Pa. 

Thomas  Beil,  Sharon,  Pa. 

Robert  R.  Beatty,  care  Wm.   Workman,  New  Alexandria,  Pa. 

Luther  L.  Calkins,  407  Davis  Street,  Findlay,  O. 

George  B.  Chalmers,  U.  S.  Custom  Warehouse,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

James  Davis. 

Samuel  Dunham,  Sharpsville,  Pa. 

Patrick  Delaney,  Hoytdale,  Pa. 

Robert  Ferguson,  Keepville,  Pa. 

George  W.  Fitzgerald,  Benwood,  W.  Va. 

Nathan  P.  Hoffman,  Napa,  Cal. 

John  F.  Linn,  Farnham,  O. 

James  McKiley,  National  Military  Home,  Ohio. 

William  McCleary. 

David  L.  McQuiston. 

Robert  Orr,  Mercer,  Pa. 

Fred  Patterson,  35  A  Street,  Sharon,  Pa. 

James  Perkins,    87    Compromise  Street,   Allegheny,   Pa. 

J.  J.  Pierce,  Sharpsville,  Pa. 

Walter  J.  Reed,  North  Yakima,  Wash. 

Samuel  C.   Rust,  Washington,  Kansas. 

Thomas  Scully,  Leetonia,  O. 

William  H.  Shaner,  Sharpsville,  Pa. 

Samuel  Stambaugh,  Chattanooga,  Tenn. 

Russell  Weller,  Jackson  Center,  Pa. 

Total    living 273 

Address   unknown 35 

Known    address.  . 238 


BULLY  FOR  YOU. 

As  played  by  the  Drum  Corps  of  the  Sixty-Third  Regiment,  P.  V. 

Arranged  by  JAMES  S.  GRAY. 


3—5— 


3=15=3= 


—=4^-^^^=j=q=4^=i-i-q==^^n=i=q— ^afn=i 


,, 3-j: gi , | -»-• . :«- 


r  -J-  ^ 


_^ J. JJ     4      -4_ 

1=^=     =^E=^E3=     ^^    jfggE|Mrg 


D.  C. 


TH 


BUL-L-Y     OLD     SIXTV-TM ! 


To   Mrs.   AGNES  HAVS  GORMLV ,  Words  and  Music  by  P.   KEIL,  Jr 

THE  DAUGHTER  OF  MY  BELOVED  COMMANDER,  GEN.  ALEX.  HAYS.  Co.  B,  1>3D  P.  V. 

Animato.    Solo.  Quartet. 

—A ^ , 


I 

In          six 

-  *y 

-  one 

when   the 

war 

be  -  gun, 

The          b 

ul  -  ly       old 

Si* 

-  ty- 

?. 

Where  Al 

-  ec 

led, 

the 

Di 

T.  - 

mond  red 

Of  the        b 

A  -  Iv      old 

Sir 

-  ty- 

3 

No       man 

e'er 

saw 

a 

game 

of  "draw" 

In  the        bul  -'ly       old 

Fix 

-  ty- 

4 

All      mod 

-  el 

boys, 

no 

rov 

/S, 

no  noise. 

In  the        b 

A  -  Iv       old 

Snr 

-  ty- 

5 

The      po 

-  lice 

work 

we'd 

nev  -  er   shirk 

In  the        bul  -  ly       old 

Six 

-  ty- 

6 

At        ra  - 

tions 

foul 

we'd 

ne 

/     - 

er  growl 

In  the        b 

jl  -  ly       old 

Sir 

-  ty- 

7 

To     steal 
h 

a 

sheep 

,   'twould 

make 

us    weep 

J 

In  the        bt 

JN^£ 
•        e        t 

k-\  °'A 

Six 

1 

-*J 

J 

- 

B 

ii     1 

*i        * 

ff      -• 

...     _.j 

BEg 

H 

5J 

"1           1      *^ 

j          1 

# 

! 
'9  ~    ,9  71   9 

9  f 

_i_ 

-*--! 

^ 

».. 

Solo.  Quartet 

— *i^* — ^^•-  *•— sz*»»»-J-       — •—    —  **— sf^-9» 


third,    Went      to      the    front,  for        Jeff         to      hunt,    Did    the 


third, 
third, 
third, 
third, 
third, 
third, 


In     thick  -  est  fight  shone     scar    -    let    bright    In     the 
For    cards   and  dice,  they       were      not     nice     With  the 


We'd   nev   -  er  think    of          taking     a      drink 
Were  won-drous  quick  with      shovel    and     pick 


The   hard  -  tack  sweet  we        loved 
Tho'  Comp-'ny    D  got  their    ci    -    der 


eat 
free, 


the 
the 
the 
the 

j* 


bul 
bul 
bul 
bul 
bul 
bul 
bul 


-  ly  old 

-  ly  old 

-  ly  old 

-  ly  old 

-  ly  old 

-  ly  old 

-  ly  old 


Six  -  ty- 
Six  -  ty- 
Six  -  ty- 
Six  -  ty- 
Six  -  ty— 
Six  -  ty- 
Six  -  ty- 


Solo. 


Quartet. 


-, — fv 


third.  We'd     hunt  the    cuss,  then 

third.  We    marched  and  fought      as 

third.  We'd    nev  -  er     hook,        we 

third.  A        whis  -  key  straight  we'd 

third.  We'd    work    or      drill 

third.  Salt      pork    was      good 


he'd     hunt  us  Of  tl 

sol  —  diers  ought  In  the 

sim  -  ply  took  In  the 

fair  -   ly    hate  In  the 

at  the      Colo  -  nel's  will  In  the 

as  an  -  gel   food  For  the 


tl  - 


old  Six-ty- 

old  Six  -  ty- 

old  Six  -  ty- 

old  Six-ty- 

old  Six  -  ty- 


third.     While  Company       H       were  the  boys  could  "tai^h"    The 


bul- 

bul- 

bul  - 

bul 

bul  -  ly      old     Six  -  ty- 

bul  -  ly      old     Six  -  ty- 


Solo. 


Quartet. 


-*— ^Tj: 

third,  In    the  glori  -  ous  days  we  marched  with  Hays    In  the  bul  -  ly  old  Six  -  ty- 

third,  In    the  grand  old  days  we       fol  -  lowed   Hays    In  the  bul  -  ly  old  Six  -  ty- 

third,  And  rath  -  er    die  than       tell     a      lie      Would  the  bul  -  ly  old  Six  -  ty- 

third,  With  all      our  might  put  it    out      of     sight      In  the  bul  -  ly  old  Six  -  ty- 

third,  And  when  'twas  o'er  we'd    hcwl    for    more      In  the  bul  -  ly  old  Six  -  ty- 

third,  No  grum-bling  word  was        ev  -  er    heard     In  the  bul  -  ly  old  Six  -  ty- 

third.  How  in  fight    to     rush      or      "le'p  t'the  bush''    In  the  bul  -  ly  old  Six  -  ty- 


Chorus. 

js_fcLj_Jl_ 


-T^L  ---  w=3=*3  —  9  —  «  ---  *=•-»  —  9=^r-  •~^  —  •—  ft 


third.  Then  Hur-  rah!  Up!   Up!        old       Six  -  ty 


.^l^l^^^  K:    -I     XW'.'  i  •••    h 


praise,         Of    the    boys  that  went — on      trou  -  ble    bent — to    march  and  fight  with    Hays. 

" 


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